The use of non-animal alternatives in the safety evaluations of cosmetics ingredients by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)

In Europe, the safety evaluation of cosmetics is based on the safety evaluation of each individual ingredient. Article 3 of the Cosmetics Regulation specifies that a cosmetic product made available on the market is to be safe for human health when used normally or under reasonably foreseeable conditions. For substances that cause some concern with respect to human health (e.g. colorants, preservatives, UV-filters), safety is evaluated at the Commission level by a scientific committee, presently called the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS). According to the Cosmetics Regulations, in the EU, the marketing of cosmetics products and their ingredients that have been tested on animals for most of their human health effects, including acute toxicity, is prohibited. Nevertheless, any study dating from before this prohibition took effect is accepted for the safety assessment of cosmetics ingredients. The in vitro methods reported in the dossiers summited to the SCCS are here evaluated from the published reports issued by the scientific committee of the Directorate General of Health and Consumers (DG SANCO); responsible for the safety of cosmetics ingredients. The number of studies submitted to the SCCS that do not involve animals is still low and in general the safety of cosmetics ingredients is based on in vivo studies performed before the prohibition.

Editorial del número 5 de la Revista Observar

Després de cinc anys de publicació ininterrompuda de la revista Observar, el Consell Editorial ha cregut que havia arribat el moment d'imprimir-li algunes modificacions. El lector que ha estat seguint la revista comprovarà en primer lloc que ha canviat lleugerament el format de pàgina. Per bé que hom ha mantingut els aspectes més importants del seu disseny i en especial la marca d"aigua amb el nom de la revista , d'una edició a dues columnes s'ha passat a una única columna i a una ampliació del seu marge dret. Amb aquest canvi s"ha pretès facilitar la lectura dels articles: hom evita així el desplaçament cap amunt al que, per tractar-se d"una revista electrònica concebuda per a ésser consultada principalment en pantalla, es veia obligat el lector en cada pàgina per tal de saltar de columna. En segon lloc, hom ha suprimit en l'editorial la lectura de la imatge de portada que precedia la presentació del sumari. Si, amb aquesta característica, s'havia volgut remarcar la provinença de la revista de l"àmbit de les arts malgrat que la major part d'allò publicat fa referència a la reflexió educativa , hom ha cregut necessari cedir aquest espai en l'editorial a aquells assumptes de més importància en la mesura que són els aspectes habitualment valorats per les entitats gestores de les bases de dades internacionals de revistes acadèmiques. En efecte, i aquesta és la tercera modificació, a partir d"aquest número hom passarà comptes d'un conjunt de dades de caràcter bibliomètric que informen de la política editorial i poden constituir indicadors de qualitat de la publicació.

La canalització de l'Ebre a la regió de Tortosa (1347-1851)

En aquest article es repassaran sumàriament els projectes de canalització de l"Ebre a la zona de Tortosa entre el s. XIV, moment en què tenim constància de les primeres intervencions, i el 1850. Per la seva importància, es deixa expressament fora el projecte que fou plantejat per la Real Compañía de Canalización del Ebro l"any 1851, ja que va ser la base de l"actual xarxa de regadiu i requereix un estudi individualitzat. Ens referirem, en certa manera, als antecedents d"aquesta realització, cosa especialment important a causa que la formulació de la proposta de la Real Compañía tingué en compte moltes de les coses que s"havien fet o intentat fer fins llavors, com ara l"assut o els canals de navegació.

Small but powerful: Top predator local extinction affects ecosystem structure and function in an intermittent stream.

Top predator loss is a major global problem, with a current trend in biodiversity loss towards high trophic levels that modifies most ecosystems worldwide. Most research in this area is focused on large-bodied predators, despite the high extinction risk of small-bodied freshwater fish that often act as apex consumers. Consequently, it remains unknown if intermittent streams are affected by the consequences of top-predators' extirpations. The aim of our research was to determine how this global problem affects intermittent streams and, in particular, if the loss of a small-bodied top predator (1) leads to a 'mesopredator release', affects primary consumers and changes whole community structures, and (2) triggers a cascade effect modifying the ecosystem function. To address these questions, we studied the topdown effects of a small endangered fish species, Barbus meridionalis (the Mediterranean barbel), conducting an enclosure/exclosure mesocosm experiment in an intermittent stream where B. meridionalis became locally extinct following a wildfire.We found that top predator absence led to 'mesopredator release', and also to 'prey release' despite intraguild predation, which contrasts with traditional food web theory. In addition, B. meridionalis extirpation changed whole macroinvertebrate community composition and increased total macroinvertebrate density. Regarding ecosystem function, periphyton primary production decreased in apex consumer absence. In this study, the apex consumer was functionally irreplaceable; its local extinction led to the loss of an important functional role that resulted in major changes to the ecosystem's structure and function. This study evidences that intermittent streams can be affected by the consequences of apex consumers' extinctions, and that the loss of small-bodied top predators can lead to large ecosystem changes. We recommend the reintroduction of small-bodied apex consumers to systems where they have been extirpated, to restore ecosystem structure and function.

Fármacos no meio ambiente

Pharmaceutical drugs have been detected in sewage treatment plants, surface waters, underground waters and potable waters. Some investigations have been conducted in several countries such as Germany, Brazil, Canada, United States, The Netherlands, England and Italy. Patients and animals excrete part of pharmaceuticals used for human and veterinary medicine after administration in domestic sewage or on the soil. Drugs residues which have not been completely removed during passage through a sewage treatment plant (STP) enter the aquatic environment. The effects of such residual drugs in terrestrial and aquatic organisms are scarcely known.

Analytical challenges in breath analysis and its application to exposure monitoring

There is an increasing interest in the use of breath analysis for monitoring human physiology and exposure to toxic substances or environmental pollutants. This review focuses on the current status of the sampling procedures, collection devices and sample-enrichment methodologies used for exhaled breath-vapor analysis. We discuss the different parameters affecting each of the above steps, taking into account the requirements for breath analysis in exposure assessments and the need to analyze target compounds at sub-ppbv levels. Finally, we summarize the practical applications of exposure analysis in the past two decades

Climatització d'un habitatge mitjançant energia geotèrmica

Aquest projecte té com a objectiu el càlcul, disseny i definició tècnica de la instaŀlació de climatització i obtenció d’aigua calenta sanitària per a un habitatge unifamiliar de nova construcció amb tres plantes i sota coberta, situat a la població d’Argentona. Per tal de complir els requeriments del Codi Tècnic de l’Edificació (CTE) en matèria d’eficiència energètica, la font energètica que farem servir per a dur a terme aquest projecte serà un sistema de captació geotèrmica de baixa temperatura que basa la seva aplicació en la capacitat que té el subsòl de mantenir una temperatura constant a partir de certa profunditat, a diferència del que succeeix a la superfície, on la temperatura ambient varia significativament al llarg de tot l’any. El nostre sistema geotèrmic aprofita la constància d’aquesta temperatura mitjançant una bomba de calor i un sistema de captació

Consequences of warming and resource quality on the stoichiometry and nutrient cycling of a stream shredder

As a result of climate change, streams are warming and their runoff has been decreasing in most temperate areas. These changes can affect consumers directly by increasing their metabolic rates and modifying their physiology and indirectly by changing the quality of the resources on which organisms depend. In this study, a common stream detritivore (Echinogammarus berilloni Catta) was reared at two temperatures (15 and 20°C) and fed Populus nigra L. leaves that had been conditioned either in an intermittent or permanent reach to evaluate the effects of resource quality and increased temperatures on detritivore performance, stoichiometry and nutrient cycling. The lower quality (i.e., lower protein, soluble carbohydrates and higher C:P and N:P ratios) of leaves conditioned in pools resulted in compensatory feeding and lower nutrient retention capacity by E. berilloni. This effect was especially marked for phosphorus, which was unexpected based on predictions of ecological stoichiometry. When individuals were fed pool-conditioned leaves at warmer temperatures, their growth rates were higher, but consumers exhibited less efficient assimilation and higher mortality. Furthermore, the shifts to lower C:P ratios and higher lipid concentrations in shredder body tissues suggest that structural molecules such as phospholipids are preserved over other energetic C-rich macromolecules such as carbohydrates. These effects on consumer physiology and metabolism were further translated into feces and excreta nutrient ratios. Overall, our results show that the effects of reduced leaf quality on detritivore nutrient retention were more severe at higher temperatures because the shredders were not able to offset their increased metabolism with increased consumption or more efficient digestion when fed pool-conditioned leaves. Consequently, the synergistic effects of impaired food quality and increased temperatures might not only affect the physiology and survival of detritivores but also extend to other trophic compartments through detritivore-mediated nutrient cycling.

Fish colonization of artificial reefs in a large Neotropical reservoir: material type and successional changes

Artificial reefs have barely been used in Neotropical reservoirs (about five studies in three reservoirs), despite their potential as a fishery management tool to create new habitats and also to understand fish ecology. We experimentally assessed how reef material (ceramic, concrete, and PVC) and time modulated fish colonization of artificial reefs deployed in Itaipu Reservoir, a large reservoir of the mainstem Parana´ River, Brazil. Fish richness, abundance, and biomass were significantly greater in the reef treatments than at control sites. Among the experimental reefs, ceramic followed by the concrete treatments were the materials most effectively colonized, harboring the majority of the 13 fish species recorded. Although dependent on material type, many of the regularities of ecological successions were also observed in the artificial reefs, including decelerating increases in species richness, abundance, mean individual size, and species loss rates with time and decelerating decreases of species gain and turnover rates. Species composition also varied with material type and time, together with suites of life history traits: more equilibrium species (i.e., fishes of intermediate size that often exhibit parental care and produce fewer but larger offspring) of the Winemiller-Rose model of fish life histories prevailed in later successional stages. Overall, our study suggests that experimental reefs are a promising tool to understand ecological succession of fish assemblages, particularly in tropical ecosystems given their high species richness and low seasonality

Invasive species and habitat degradation in Iberian streams: an analysis of their role in freshwater fish diversity loss

Mediterranean endemic freshwater fish are among the most threatened biota in the world. Distinguishing the role of different extinction drivers and their potential interactions is crucial for achieving conservation goals. While some authors argue that invasive species are a main driver of native species declines, others see their proliferation as a co-occurring process to biodiversity loss driven by habitat degradation. It is difficult to discern between the two potential causes given that few invaded ecosystems are free from habitat degradation, and that both factors may interact in different ways. Here we analyze the relative importance of habitat degradation and invasive species in the decline of native fish assemblages in the Guadiana River basin (southwestern Iberian Peninsula) using an information theoretic approach to evaluate interaction pathways between invasive species and habitat degradation (structural equation modeling, SEM). We also tested the possible changes in the functional relationships between invasive and native species, measured as the per capita effect of invasive species, using ANCOVA. We found that the abundance of invasive species was the best single predictor of natives’ decline and had the highest Akaike weight among the set of predictor variables examined. Habitat degradation neither played an active role nor influenced the per capita effect of invasive species on natives. Our analyses indicated that downstream reaches and areas close to reservoirs had the most invaded fish assemblages, independently of their habitat degradation status. The proliferation of invasive species poses a strong threat to the persistence of native assemblages in highly fluctuating environments. Therefore, conservation efforts to reduce native freshwater fish diversity loss in Mediterranean rivers should focus on mitigating the effect of invasive species and preventing future invasions

Interactions of bacteria and fungi on decomposing litter: differential extracellular enzyme activities

Fungi and bacteria are key agents in plant litter decomposition in freshwater ecosystems. However, the specific roles of these two groups and their interactions during the decomposition process are unclear. We compared the growth and patterns of degradativeenzymes expressed by communities of bacteria and fungi grown separately and in coexistence on Phragmites leaves. The two groups displayed both synergistic and antagonistic interactions. Bacteria grew better together with fungi than alone. In addition, there was a negative effect of bacteria on fungi, which appeared to be caused by suppression of fungal growth and biomass accrual rather than specifically affecting enzyme activity. Fungi growing alone had a high capacity for the decomposition of plant polymers such as lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. In contrast, enzyme activities were in general low when bacteria grew alone, and the activity of key enzymes in the degradation of lignin and cellulose (phenol oxidase and cellobiohydrolase) was undetectable in the bacteria-only treatment. Still, biomass-specific activities of most enzymes were higher in bacteria than in fungi. The low total activity and growth of bacteria in the absence of fungi in spite of apparent high enzymatic efficiency during the degradation of many substrates suggest that fungi provide the bacteria with resources that the bacteria were not able to acquire on their own, most probably intermediate decomposition products released by fungi that could be used by bacteria

Quantifying seasonality along a latitudinal gradient: from stream temperature to growth of invasive mosquitofish

Most ecosystems undergo substantial variation over the seasons, ranging from changes in abiotic features, such as temperature, light and precipitation, to changes in species abundance and composition. How seasonality varies along latitudinal gradients is not well known in freshwater ecosystems, despite being very important in predicting the effects of climate change and in helping to advance ecological understanding. Stream temperature is often well correlated with air temperature and influences many ecosystem features such as growth and metabolism of most aquatic organisms. We evaluated the degree of seasonality in ten river mouths along a latitudinal gradient for a set of variables, ranging from air and water temperatures, to physical and chemical properties of water and growth of an invasive fish species (eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki ). Our results show that although most of the variation in air temperature was explained by latitude and season, this was not the case for water features, including temperature, in lowland Mediterranean streams, which depended less on season and much more on local factors. Similarly, although there was evidence of latitude-dependent seasonality in fish growth, the relationship was nonlinear and weak and the significant latitudinal differences in growth rates observed during winter were compensated later in the year and did not result in overall differences in size and growth. Our results suggest that although latitudinal differences in air temperature cascade through properties of freshwater ecosystems, local factors and complex interactions often override the water temperature variation with latitude and might therefore hinder projections of species distribution models and effects of climate change

How are riparian plants distributed along the riverbank topographic gradient in Mediterranean rivers? Application to minimally altered river stretches in Southern Spain.

Species structure and composition in Mediterranean riparian forests are determined by hydrological features, longitudinal zonation, and riverbank topography. This study assesses the distribution of four native riparian plants along the riverbank topographic gradient in three river stretches in southern Spain, with special emphasis on the occupation of adult and young feet of each species. The studied stretches suffered minimal human disturbances, displayed semi-arid conditions, and had wide riparian areas to allow the development of the target species: black alder (Alnus glutinosa), salvia leaf willow (Salix salviifolia), narrow-leafed ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), and oleander (Nerium oleander). Thalweg height was used to define the riverbank topographic gradient. The results showed a preferential zone for black alder and salvia leaf willow in the range of 0-150 cm from the channel thalweg, with adult alders and willows being more common between 51 and 150 cm and young alders being more common under 50 cm. Conversely, narrow-leafed ash and oleander were much more frequent, and showed greater development, in the ranges of 151-200 cm and 201-250 cm, respectively, whereas the young feet of both species covered the entire topographic range. Adult feet of the four species were spatially segregated along the riverbank topographic gradient, indicating their differential ability to cope with water stress from the non-tolerant alders and willows to more tolerant narrow-leafed ash trees and oleanders. Young feet, however, showed a strategy more closely linked to the initial availability of colonisation sites within riparian areas to the dispersion strategy of each species and to the distribution of adult feet. In Mediterranean areas, where riparian management has traditionally faced great challenges, the incorporation of species preferences along riverbank gradients could improve the performance of restoration projects.

Biomonitoreo de la calidad del agua en los ríos ibéricos: lecciones aprendidas.

Los autores resumen en un decálogo la experiencia de más de 30 años de estudio de los ríos españoles con dos focos principales: el uso de macroinvertebrados para la obtención de la calidad biológica y el diseño de sistemas de evaluación del estado ecológico de los ríos. Después de una introducción general y de un resumen de cómo se gestaron los estudios de biomonitoreo en España, los autores analizan los trabajos que se han publicado en la revista Limnetica sobre este tema. Se usan estos datos para ilustrar los puntos relevantes en el diseño y aplicación del biomonitoreo, que es posteriormente resumido en un decálogo. Este está pensado para contener todos los puntos necesarios para que el diseño de un sistema de biomonitoreo cumpla las especificaciones de la Directiva Marco del Agua (DMA). Los diez puntos analizados son: 1) establecimiento de la zona de estudio; 2) recursos humanos y materiales disponibles; 3) tipología de ríos; 4) establecimiento de las condiciones de referencia; 5) protocolos de muestreo; 6) métricas a utilizar; 7) establecimiento de los cortes de calidad y relación de las métricas con las presiones; 8) mapas de estado ecológico usando el valor relativo respecto a los valores de referencia (el EQR: Ecological Quality Ratio); 9) control de calidad; 10) uso de los datos para establecer los objetivos de calidad y el programa de medidas. En la revista Limnetica se han publicado desde su inicio en el año 1981 un total de 641 trabajos, de los cuales un 42% trataban de ríos y un 18% se centraban exclusivamente en el biomonitoreo. La mayor parte de los trabajos de biomonitoreo publicados utilizaron a los macroinvertebrados como elemento de calidad (88%), pero relativamente pocos (menos del 20%) usaron la tipología y las condiciones de referencia para establecer correctamente las clases de calidad. Se analiza por separado el período anterior al año 2002, y con un número similar de trabajos se advierte un mayor porcentaje de trabajos de biomonitoreo después de 2002. Sin embargo, y a pesar de la existencia de la DMA desde el año 2000, muchos trabajos publicados en Limnetica a partir de 2002 (cuando se hizo un número especial sobre biomonitoreo en ríos mediterráneos) no cumplen los requisitos que demanda esta Directiva. En este momento, después de la experiencia que se tiene por la implementación de la DMA, cualquier sistema de biomonitoreo desarrollado en Europa debe ser comparable a los que existen actualmente, especialmente a la métrica común de intercalibración (ICM).Este decálogo presenta los pasos necesarios para que cuando se diseñe un sistema de muestreo este cumpla los requisitos que demanda la DMA.

The Andean Biotic Index (ABI): revised tolerance to pollution values for macroinvertebrate families and index performance evaluation.

Score-based biotic indices are widely used to evaluate the water quality of streams and rivers. Few adaptations of these indices have been done for South America because there is a lack of knowledge on mac-roinvertebrate taxonomy, distribution and tolerance to pollution in the region. Several areas in the Andes are densely populated and there is need for methods to assess the impact of increasing human pressures on aquatic ecosystems. Considering the unique ecological and geographical features of the Andes, macroinvertebrate indices used in other regions must be adapted with caution. Here we present a review of the literature on mac-roinvertebrate distribution and tolerance to pollution in Andean areas above 2 000masl. Using these data, we propose an Andean Biotic Index (ABI), which is based on the BMWP index. In general, ABI includes fewer macroinvertebrate families than in other regions of the world where the BMWP index has been applied because altitude restricts the distribution of several families. Our review shows that in the high Andes, the tolerance of several macroinvertebrate families to pollution differs from those reported in other areas. We tested the ABI index in two basins in Ecuador and Peru, and compared it to other BMWP adaptations using the reference condi-tion approach. The ABI index is extremely useful for detecting the general impairment of rivers but class quality boundaries should be defined independently for each basin because reference conditions may be different. The ABI is widely used in Ecuador and Peru, with high correlations with land-use pressures in several studies. The ABI index is an integral part of the new multimetric index designed for high Andean streams (IMEERA). Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (Suppl. 2): 249-273. Epub 2014 April 01.