Seawater carbonate chemistry and biological processes of Emiliania huxleyi (PML B92/11) during experiments, 2011

The present study investigates the combined effect of phosphorous limitation, elevated partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and temperature on a calcifying strain of Emiliania huxleyi (PML B92/11) by means of a fully controlled continuous culture facility. Two levels of phosphorous limitation were consecutively applied by renewal of culture media (N:P = 26) at dilution rates (D) of 0.3 d- and 0.1 d-1. CO2 and temperature conditions were 300, 550 and 900 µatm pCO2 at 14 °C and 900 µatm pCO2 at 18 °C. In general, the steady state cell density and particulate organic carbon (POC) production increased with pCO2, yielding significantly higher concentrations in cultures grown at 900 µatm pCO2 compared to 300 and 550 µatm pCO2. At 900 µatm pCO2, elevation of temperature as expected for a greenhouse ocean, further increased cell densities and POC concentrations. In contrast to POC concentration, C-quotas (pmol C cell-1) were similar at D = 0.3 d-1 in all cultures. At D = 0.1 d-1, a reduction of C-quotas by up to 15% was observed in the 900 µatm pCO2 at 18 °C culture. As a result of growth rate reduction, POC:PON:POP ratios deviated strongly from the Redfield ratio, primarily due to an increase in POC. Ratios of particulate inorganic and organic carbon (PIC:POC) ranged from 0.14 to 0.18 at D = 0.3 d-1, and from 0.11 to 0.17 at D = 0.1 d-1, with variations primarily induced by the changes in POC. At D = 0.1 d-1, cell volume was reduced by up to 22% in cultures grown at 900 µatm pCO2. Our results indicate that changes in pCO2, temperature and phosphorus supply affect cell density, POC concentration and size of E. huxleyi (PML B92/11) to varying degrees, and will likely impact bloom development as well as biogeochemical cycling in a greenhouse ocean.

(Table T2) Biogenic opal in Palmer Deep sediments at ODP Site 178-1098

High-resolution records of sedimentary proxies provide insights into fine-scale geochemical responses to climatic forcing. Gamma-ray attenuation (GRA) bulk-density data and magnetic stratigraphy records from Palmer Deep, Site 1098, show variability close to the same scale as ice cores, making this site ideal for high-resolution geochemical investigations. In conjunction with shipboard geophysical measurements, silica records allow high-resolution evaluation of the frequencies and amplitudes of biogenic variability. This provides investigators additional data sets to evaluate the global extent of climatic events that are presently defined by regional oceanic data sets (e.g., Younger Dryas in the North Atlantic) and to evaluate the potential mechanisms that link biological productivity and climate in the Southern Ocean. In addition, because of the observed links between diatom blooms and export productivity (Michaels and Silver, 1988, doi:10.1016/0198-0149(88)90126-4), biogenic silica may be an indicator of the efficiency of the biological pump (removal of organic carbon from the euphotic zone and burial within the sediments). Because the net removal of CO2 (on short time scales up to millennial, the balance between upwelled CO2, carbon fixation, and the removal of organic carbon from the surface ocean) can determine the atmospheric concentration; proxies that allow us to quantify export production yield insights into carbon cycle responses. In today's ocean, diatoms are integrally linked with new production (production based on the use of nitrate and molecular nitrogen rather than ammonium, which is generated by the microbial degradation of organic carbon) (Dugdale and Goering, 1967). Thus, as with nutrient utilization proxies, biogenic silica may be a good indicator of export production. The difficulties lie in translating the biogenic opal burial records to export production. Numerous factors control the preservation of sedimentary biogenic silica, including depth of the water column, water temperature, trace element chemistry, grazing pressure, bloom structure, and species composition of the diatom assemblage (Nelson et al., 1995, doi:10.1029/95GB01070). In addition, several recent investigations have noted additional complications. Iron limitation increases the uptake of Si relative to carbon (Hutchins et al., 1998, ; Takeda, 1998, doi:10.1038/31674). In the Southern Ocean, iron limitation could produce more robust, and thus better preserved, diatoms; thus, the burial record may be a record of iron limitation rather than of the export of organic carbon (Boyle, 1998). In addition, laboratory experiments show that bacteria accelerate the dissolution of biogenic silica (Bidle and Azam, 1999, doi:10.1038/17351). Both the species composition and temperature seem to influence the amount of dissolution. Evidence of recycling of silicic acid within the photic zone (Brzezinski et al., 1997) suggests that the silica pump (removal from the euphotic zone of silica relative to nitrogen and phosphorus) may work with variable efficiency. This becomes an issue when trying to reconstruct the removal of organic carbon from sedimentary biogenic silica records. In fact, there is a wide range in the Si:Corganic molar ratio in the Southern Ocean (0.18-0.81) (Nelson et al., 1995; Ragueneau et al., 2000, doi:10.1016/S0921-8181(00)00052-7). Thus, the presence (or absence) of biogenic silica alone may tell us little about the export productivity, complicating the interpretation of age-related trends. One recent assessment has added some hope to links between productivity and opal burial in the Southern Ocean (Pondaven et al., 2000). Quantitative comparison of different productivity proxies will greatly aid in this evaluation.

Dealing with flood damages: will prevention, mitigation, and ex post compensation provide for a resilient triangle?

There is a wealth of literature on the design of ex post compensation mechanisms for natural disasters. However, more research needs to be done on the manner in which these mechanisms could steer citizens toward adopting individual-level preventive and protection measures in the face of flood risks. We have provided a comparative legal analysis of the financial compensation mechanisms following floods, be it through insurance, public funds, or a combination of both, with an empirical focus on Belgium, the Netherlands, England, and France. Similarities and differences between the methods in which these compensation mechanisms for flood damages enhance resilience were analyzed. The comparative analysis especially focused on the link between the recovery strategy on the one hand and prevention and mitigation strategies on the other. There is great potential within the recovery strategy for promoting preventive action, for example in terms of discouraging citizens from living in high-risk areas, or encouraging the uptake of mitigation measures, such as adaptive building. However, this large potential has yet to be realized, in part because of insufficient consideration and promotion of these connections within existing legal frameworks. We have made recommendations about how the linkages between strategies can be further improved. These recommendations relate to, among others, the promotion of resilient reinstatement through recovery mechanisms and the removal of legal barriers preventing the establishment of link-inducing measures.

Policy and Design Guidelines for Trees in a Growing Seattle

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-08

The lipid- and lipoprotein- [LDL-Lp(a)] apheresis techniques. Updating

Therapeutic plasmapheresis allows the extracorporeal removal of plasmatic lipoproteins (Lipid-apheresis) (LA). It can be non selective (non specific), semi - selective or selective low density lipoprotein-lipoprotein(a) (specific [LDL- Lp(a)] apheresis) (Lipoprotein apheresis, LDLa). The LDL removal rate is a perfect parameter to assess the system efficiency. Plasma-Exchange (PEX) cannot be considered either specific nor, selective. In PEX the whole blood is separated into plasma and its corpuscular components usually through centrifugation or rather filtration. The corpuscular components mixed with albumin solution plus saline (NaCl 0.9%) solution at 20%-25%, are then reinfused to the patient, to substitute the plasma formerly removed. PEX eliminates atherogenic lipoproteins, but also other essential plasma proteins, such as albumin, immunoglobulins, and hemocoagulatory mediators. Cascade filtration (CF) is a method based on plasma separation and removal of plasma proteins through double filtration. During the CF two hollow–fiber filters with pores of different diameter are used to eliminate the plasma components of different weight and molecular diameter. A CF system uses a first polypropylene filter with 0.55 µm diameter pores and a second one of diacetate of cellulose with 0.02 µm pores. The first filter separates the whole blood, and the plasma is then perfused through a second filter which allows the recovery of molecules with a diameter lower than 0.02 µm, and the removal of molecules larger in diameter as apoB100–containing lipoproteins. Since both albumin and immunoglobulins are not removed, or to a negligible extent, plasma-expanders, substitution fluids, and in particular albumin, as occurs in PEX are not needed. CF however, is characterized by lower selectivity since removes also high density lipoprotein (HDL) particles which have an antiatherogenic activity. In the 80’s, a variation of Lipid-apheresis has been developed which allows the LDL-cholesterol (LDLC) (-61%) and Lp(a) (-60%) removal from plasma through processing 3 liters of filtered plasma by means of lipid-specific thermofiltration, LDL immunoadsorption, heparin-induced LDL precipitation, LDL adsorption through dextran sulphate. More recently (90’s) the DALI®, and the Liposorber D® hemoperfusion systems, effective for apoB100- containing lipoproteins removal have been developed. All the above mentioned systems are established LDL-apheresis techniques referable to the generic definition of LDLa. However, this last definition cannot describe in an appropriate manner the removal of another highly atherogenic lipoprotein particle: the Lp(a). Thus it would be better to refer the above mentioned techniques to the wider scientific and technical concept of lipoprotein apheresis. Lipid apheresis - Lipoprotein apheresis - LDL-apheresis - Severe Dyslipidemia.

Remoção de fósforo pela cianobactéria aphanothece microscopia nageli em cultivos heterotróficos

Nesta dissertação foi demostrada a potencialidade da cianobactéria Aphanothece microscopica Nägeli em cultivo heterotrófico para remover fósforo do efluente de laticínio, bem como o efeito da temperatura no bioprocesso. Para tanto o trabalho é composto por dois artigos. O primeiro intitula-se “Influência da temperatura na remoção de fósforo por Aphanothece microscopica Nägeli em biorreatores heterotróficos”, e teve por objetivo avaliar a eficiência da cianobactéria em remover heterotroficamente fósforo total dissolvido do efluente de processamento de laticínios. A análise dos resultados mostrou que a remoção de fósforo é independente de sua concentração no sistema, porém depende fortemente da temperatura. Ficou demostrado, que a remoção é altamente sensível a temperatura principalmente no intervalo de 10ºC – 20ºC e nessas condições a operacionalidade do biorreator deverá ser ajustada para manutenção da eficiência do processo. O segundo artigo tem como título “Dinâmica de remoção de fósforo por Aphanothece microscopica Nägeli em biorreatores heterotróficos” e avaliou a remoção das formas de fósforo reativo, fósforo hidrolisável, fósforo total e fósforo orgânico, total e dissolvida, bem como de DQO e NNTK nas temperaturas de 10ºC, 20ºC e 30ºC em 24 h, a fim de investigar a dinâmica de remoção de diferentes formas de fósforo do efluente de laticínio em biorreatores heterotróficos. Foi possível concluir que a fração de fósforo predominante no efluente de laticínio foi a orgânica dissolvida, seguida de fósforo reativo dissolvido. A cianobactéria foi capaz de remover formas simples de fósforo, como reativo e complexas, fósforo hidrolisável e orgânico, bem como DQO e N-NTK. No que se refere ao fósforo suspenso, foi verificado que as frações de fósforo orgânico suspenso e fósforo suspenso total apresentaram baixa remoção. Foi observado que no intervalo de 20ºC a 30ºC foi registrado o maior desempenho quanto à remoção de fósforo para um tempo de detenção hidráulica de 16 h. Nos experimentos realizados à temperatura de 20ºC foram registrados os melhores valores cinéticos resultando em uma máxima concentração celular de 0,84 g.L-1, velocidade máxima de crescimento de 8,64 dias-1 e produtividade de 3,85 g.L-1. dia-1. Assim, a análise dos resultados permite concluir que a remoção de fósforo, DQO e N-NTK em condições heterotróficas por Aphanothece microscopica Nägeli é rota em potencial para o tratamento de efluente de laticínio.

Phytoplankton versus macrophyte contribution to primary production and biogeochemical cycles of a coastal mesotidal system. A modelling approach

This study presents an assessment of the contributions of various primary producers to the global annual production and N/P cycles of a coastal system, namely the Arcachon Bay, by means of a numerical model. This 3D model fully couples hydrodynamic with ecological processes and simulates nitrogen, silicon and phosphorus cycles as well as phytoplankton, macroalgae and seagrasses. Total annual production rates for the different components were calculated for different years (2005, 2007 and 2009) during a time period of drastic reduction in seagrass beds since 2005. The total demand of nitrogen and phosphorus was also calculated and discussed with regards to the riverine inputs. Moreover, this study presents the first estimation of particulate organic carbon export to the adjacent open ocean. The calculated annual net production for the Arcachon Bay (except microphytobenthos, not included in the model) ranges between 22,850 and 35,300 tons of carbon. The main producers are seagrasses in all the years considered with a contribution ranging from 56% to 81% of global production. According to our model, the -30% reduction in seagrass bed surface between 2005 and 2007, led to an approximate 55% reduction in seagrass production, while during the same period of time, macroalgae and phytoplankton enhanced their productions by about +83% and +46% respectively. Nonetheless, the phytoplankton production remains about eightfold higher than the macroalgae production. Our results also highlight the importance of remineralisation inside the Bay, since riverine inputs only fulfill at maximum 73% nitrogen and 13% phosphorus demands during the years 2005, 2007 and 2009. Calculated advection allowed a rough estimate of the organic matter export: about 10% of the total production in the bay was exported, originating mainly from the seagrass compartment, since most of the labile organic matter was remineralised inside the bay.

Dinâmica do fósforo em cultivo heterotrófico e produção de compostos celulares por cianobactéria integrado a biorrefinarias agroindustriais

O objetivo desta tese foi avaliar a dinâmica do fósforo em cultivo heterotrófico e produção de compostos celulares por Aphanothece microscopica Nägeli visando avaliar a perspectiva de implementação de uma biorrefinaria microalgal. Desta forma, foi avaliado o comportamento do micro-organismo em estudo no cultivo heterotrófico, utilizando como meio de cultivo o efluente de laticínios. O trabalho foi desenvolvido em 3 etapas. Em um primeiro momento foi avaliada a influência da temperatura (20 e 30°C) e os valores máximos e mínimos de nutrientes, em especial do fósforo dissolvido reativo (PDR), disponíveis no efluente de laticínio, na remoção de nutrientes. Os resultados demonstraram que a concentração inicial de fósforo dissolvido e a temperatura exerceram influência no crescimento celular e na eficiência de remoção de nutrientes. Em termos de otimização de processo os cultivos conduzidos a 20°C e maiores concentrações de PDR (5,5 mg.L-1 ) no efluente de laticínio, foram os mais eficientes na conversão de poluentes em biomassa e remoção de nutrientes. A segunda etapa foi desenvolvida com o objetivo de avaliar a dinâmica de distribuição de fósforo na fase líquida e sólida do reator heterotrófico, quando o efluente de laticínio foi tratado pela Aphanothece microscopica Nägeli, a 20°C e nas máximas concentrações de fósforo dissolvido encontradas no efluente. Foi demonstrado que as formas fosforadas na fase líquida do reator se caracterizam pela predominância da fração dissolvida em comparação à particulada e por apresentar como fração predominante a de fósforo orgânico. No que se refere à fase sólida, ficou demonstrado que a Aphanothece microscopica Nägeli, quando cultivada heterotroficamente apresenta 3,8 vezes mais fósforo que o requerido para o crescimento celular. Ficando demonstrado ainda que a remoção biológica de fósforo por Aphanothece microscopica Nägeli pode resultar em substanciais aportes financeiros para as estações de tratamento de efluentes. Uma terceira etapa foi desenvolvida, a qual teve como objetivo avaliar a estimativa de produção de compostos celulares por Aphanothece microscopica Nägeli, a partir do efluente de laticínio, bem como o efeito da redução de temperatura de cultivo no teor de lipídios , no momento em que é obtida a máxima concentração deste componente celular, nas condições otimizadas.Foi obtido na fase logarítmica de crescimento, concentrações de 41,8 % de proteinas, carboidratos 28,5 %, lipídios 10,4 % e minerais 10,8 %. O maior teor de lipídio registrado a 20°C correspondeu a biomassa analisada na fase logarítmica.Com a redução da temperatura para 5°C por um período de 30 h é possível obter concentrações de lipídios 2,4 vezes superior ao registrado na fase logarítmica a 20 °C. No entanto, não foram indicadas diferenças significativas (p≤0,05) em função da temperatura entre as concentrações de lipídios obtidas para a biomassa a 10°C em 40 h. O perfil de ácidos graxos da biomassa gerada a 20°C, apresentou como ácidos graxos majoritários, os ácidos graxos: palmítico, oléico, γ-linolênico, palmitoleico e esteárico, resultando um aumento na concentração de ácidos graxos saturados as espensa dos insaturados, quando a temperatura é reduzida. Em paralelo,um reator heterotrófico descontinuo foi definido, ficando demonstrado que a extrapolação da operação em batelada para contínua requer um biorreator heterotrófico com volume útil de trabalho de 240,51 m 3 , permitindo tratar 950 m3 diários de efluente, gerando 11,8 kg.d-1 de biomassa útil para produção de compostos celulares por Aphanothece microscopica Nägeli, visando à simultânea remoção de matéria orgânica, nitrogênio total e fósforo total, gerando insumos que podem suportar a implementação de uma biorrefinaria microalgal.

Nutrients limiting the Algal Growth Potential (AGP) in the Gulf of Riga, eastern Baltic Sea, in spring and early summer 1996

In May, June and July 1996, samples wcre collected along one transect greatly influenced by river discharge (eastern side of the gulf), along one transect slightly influence by river discharge (western side), at one station Iocated in the mouth of the main river (River Daugava), at one station located in the center of the Gulf and at several nearshore locations of the western side. Ratios of rnolecular concentrations of in situ dissolved ioorganic nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon, as weIl as enrichment bioassays were llsed to dctcrrnine which nutrient (s) lirnited the potential biomass of phytoplankton. Both comparison of (NO.d-N02+NJ.L): P04 (DIN: DIP) values with Redfic1d's ratio and bioassay inspection led to the sarne conclusions. Phosphorus was clearly the nutrient most limiting for the potcntial biornass of test species in nitrogen- rich waters, which occurred in mid spring, in the upper layer of the southern-eastern part of the Gulf which is greatly influenced by river discharge. In late spring, with the decrease of the total DIN reserve, nitrogen and phosphorus showed an equallimiting role. In deeper layers of this area and out of the river plume (western side and central part of the gulf), nitrogen was the limiting nutrient. In summer, whcn river discharge was the lowest, a11 DIN concentrations but one ranged between 1.6 and 2.6 µM, and the whole area was nitrogen-limited for both the cyanobacterial and the algal test strains. In 74% of the samples for which nitrogen was the limiting nutrient, phosphorus was recorded to be the second potentially limiting nutrient. In contrast, silicon never appeared as limiting the growth potential of either Microcystis aeruginosa or Phaeodactylum tricornutum; phosphorus was the limiting nutrient when DIN: Si03 values were >1 (in May), but DIN: Si03 was <1 when nitrogen was limiting (June and July). The authors conclude that the recently reported decrease of silicon loading in coastal waters and its subsequent enhanced importance in pushing the outcome of species competition towards harmful species may not yet be the most important factor for the Gulf of Riga. Iron appeared for 12% of the tests in the list of nutrients limiting the potential biomass. Tentative results also indicated that a significant fraction of the nitrogen (~,4 µg-atom N 1(-1) taken up by Microcystis aeruginosa may have been in the form of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). It is thus also suggested tentatively that more attention be paid to these nitrients during further research in the Gulf of Riga.

Comparison of Hydrologic and Hydraulic Characteristics of the Anacostia River to Non-Urban Coastal Streams

Streams in urban areas often utilize channelization and other bank erosion control measures to improve flood conveyance, reduce channel migration, and overbank flooding. This leads to reductions in evapotranspiration and sediment storage on floodplains. The purpose of this study is to quantify the evapotranspiration and sediment transport capacity in the Anacostia Watershed, a large Coastal Plain urban watershed, and to compare these processes to a similar sized non-urban watershed. Times series data of hydrologic and hydraulic changes in the Anacostia, as urbanization progressed between 1939-2014, were also analyzed. The data indicates lower values of warm season runoff in the non-urban stream, suggesting a shift from evapotranspiration to runoff in urban streams. Channelization in the Anacostia also increased flow velocities and decreased high flow width. The high velocities associated with channelization and the removal of floodplain storage sites allows for the continued downstream transport of sediment despite stream bank stabilization.

PHYTOPLANKTON AND NUTRIENT DYNAMICS WITH A FOCUS ON NITROGEN FORM IN THE ANACOSTIA RIVER, IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AND WEST LAKE, IN HANGZHOU, CHINA

Nutrient loading has been linked with severe water quality impairment, ranging from hypoxia to increased frequency of harmful algal blooms (HABs), loss of fisheries, and changes in biodiversity. Waters around the globe are experiencing deleterious effects of eutrophication; however, the relative amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) reaching these waters is not changing proportionately, with high N loads increasingly enriched in chemically-reduced N forms. Research involving two urban freshwater and nutrient enriched systems, the Anacostia River, USA, a tributary of the Potomac River feeding into the Chesapeake Bay, and West Lake, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, was conducted to assess the response of phytoplankton communities to changing N-form and N/P-ratios. Field observations involving the characterization of ambient phytoplankton communities and N-forms, as well as experimental (nutrient enrichment) manipulations were used to understand shifts in phytoplankton community composition with increasing NH4+ loads. In both locations, a >2-fold increase in ambient NH4+:NO3- ratios was followed by a shift in the phytoplankton community, with diatoms giving way to chlorophytes and cyanobacteria. Enrichment experiments mirrored this, in that samples enriched with NH4+ lead to increased abundance of chlorophytes and cyanobacteria. This work shows that in both of these systems experiencing nutrient enrichment that NH4+ supports communities dominated by more chlorophytes and cyanobacteria than other phytoplankton groups.

Desenvolvimento de membranas porosas de alumina para fins de tratamento de efluente industrial têxtil

Textile production has been considered as an activity of high environmental impact due to the generation of large volumes of waste water with high load of organic compounds and strongly colored effluents, toxic and difficult biodegradability. This thesis deals with obtaining porous alumina ceramic membranes for filtration of textile effluent in the removal of contaminants, mainly color and turbidity. Two types of alumina with different particle sizes as a basis for the preparation of formulation for mass production of ceramic samples and membranes. The technological properties of the samples were evaluated after using sintering conditions: 1,350ºC-2H, 1,450ºC-30M, 1,450ºC-2H, 1,475ºC-30M and 1,475ºC-2H. The sintered samples were characterized by XRD, XRF, AG, TG, DSC, DL, AA, MEA, RL, MRF-3P, SEM and Intrusion Porosimetry by Mercury. After the characterization, a standard membrane was selected with their respective sintering condition for the filterability tests. The effluent was provided by a local Textile Industry and characterized at the entry and exit of the treatment plant. A statistical analysis was used to study the effluent using the following parameters: pH, temperature, EC, SS, SD, oil and grease, turbidity, COD, DO, total phosphorus, chlorides, phenols, metals and fecal coliform. The filtered effluent was evaluated by using the same parameters. These results demonstrate that the feasibility of the use of porous alumina ceramic membranes for removing contaminants from textile effluent with improved average pore size of 0.4 micrometre (distribution range varying from 0,025 to 2.0 micrometre), with total porosity of 29.66%, and average percentages of color removal efficiency of 89.02%, 92.49% of SS, turbidity of 94.55%, metals 2.70% (manganese) to 71.52% (iron) according to each metal and COD removal of 72.80%

THE ROLE OF ECTOMYCORRHIZAL FUNGI ON FERTILIZED AND UNFERTILIZED NURSERY GROWN WHITE SPRUCE

Nursery grown seedlings are an essential part of the forestry industry. These seedlings are grown under high nutrient conditions caused by fertilization. Though grown in a controlled environment, symbionts such as ectomycorrhizal fungi (EcMF) are often found in these conditions. To examine the effects of EcMF in these conditions, colonized Picea glauca seedlings were collected from Toumey Nursery in Watersmeet, MI. After collection, the EcMF present were morphotyped, and seedlings with different morphotypes were divided equally into two treatment types- fertilized and unfertilized. Seedlings received treatment for one growing season. After that time, seedlings were collected, ectomycorrhizas identified using morphotyping and DNA sequencing, and seedlings were analyzed for differences in leaf nutrient concentration, content, root to shoot ratio, total biomass, and EcMF community structure. DNA sequencing identified 5 unique species groups- Amphinema sp. 1, Amphinema sp. 5, Thelephora terrestris, Sphaerosporella brunnea, and Boletus variipes. In the unfertilized treatment it was found that Amphinema sp. 1 strongly negatively impacted foliar N concentration. In fertilized seedlings, Thelephora terrestris had a strong negative impact on foliar phosphorus concentration, while Amphinema sp. 1 positively impacted foliar boron, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus concentration. In terms of content, Amphinema sp. 1 led to significantly higher content of manganese and boron in fertilized treatments, as well as elevated phosphorus in unfertilized seedlings. Amphinema sp. 5 had a significant negative effect on phosphorus content. When examining root to shoot ratio and biomass, those seedlings with more non-mycorrhizal tips had a higher root to shoot ratio. Findings from the study shed light on the interactions of the species. Amphinema sp. 5 shows very different functionality than Amphinema sp. 1. Amphinema sp. 1 appears to have the highest positive effect on seedling nutrition when in both fertilized and unfertilized environments. Amphinema sp. 5 and T. terrestris appear to behave parasitically in both fertilized and unfertilized conditions.

Chemical Composition and Bioactive Compounds in Bananas and Postharvest Alterations

Bananas arise as one of the most popular fruits consumed all around the world. Banana belongs to the genus Musa from the family Musaceae. It is original from tropical regions and presents a strong ability to protect itself from the oxidative stress caused by extreme climatic conditions such as intense sunshine and high temperature. For this protection, bananas increase the production of bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity, which protect the fruit from the oxidative damage. Scientific studies have demonstrated that bananas (both in the pulp and peel) contain different antioxidant compounds, like vitamins (A, B, C and E), β-carotene and phenolic compounds (catechin, epicatechin, lignin, tannins, anthocyanins). Furthermore, banana is also notably rich in minerals, like potassium and phosphorus. The knowledge about the chemical composition and the contents in compounds with biological activity is of high interest given the importance of bananas as a valuable food all over the world. However, because bananas are perishable due to some factors like chemical reactions, including those that result in the production of ethylene, their postharvest conservation in pivotal for the commercialization. The effects of postharvest treatments and storage conditions on the composition of bananas are, therefore, essential. In this way, the present chapter focus on the composition of bananas, including macronutrients, micronutrients and bioactive compounds, as well as the effect of postharvest treatments and storage conditions in the quality of bananas.

Growth, nutrient accumulation in leaves and grain yield of super early genotypes of common bean.

There is a lack of researches that evaluate the development and nutrient accumulation in super early genotypes of common bean for the elaboration of fertilization programs. This study aimed at characterizing the development; N, P, K, Ca and Mg accumulation by leaves; grain yield; and yield components of super early genotypes of common bean. Field experiments were conducted in a randomized blocks design, with four replications. The treatments consisted of the IPR Colibri (control), CNFC 15873, CNFC 15874 and CNFC 15875 genotypes. Plants were sampled throughout the common bean development, being divided into leaves, stems and pods. After determining the dry matter, the contents of N, P, K, Ca and Mg accumulated in leaves were estimated. At harvesting, the grain yield and yield components were evaluated. The biomass accumulation in stems and leaves occurred until the flowering stage, and then it started in the pods until harvesting. The genotypes that absorbed more nitrogen and phosphorus had a higher grain yield. The average growing season of super early genotypes was 70 days (winter) and 63 days (summer). CNFC 15874 was the most productive genotype in the winter, with grain yield similar to the IPR Colibri cultivar (control). In the summer, CNFC 15873 and CNFC 15875 achieved grain yield similar to the IPR Colibri cultivar.