► A suite of biomarkers was standardized in the earthworm L. terrestris for detecting the pollutant induced stress syndrome. ► Exposure to either copper sulphate or methiocarb induced dramatic granulocyte enlargement. ► Pollutant induced granulocyte enlargement showed high sensitivity to pollutant exposure compared to other biomarkers. ► Granulocyte enlargement showed to be a potential general biomarker suitable to be included in a multi-biomarker strategy.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.06.058

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► We confirm the impact of environmental pollutant mediated oxidative stress on hepatocytes structures. ► Disturbance in bioenergetic status and Δψm, and induction of different kDa proteins were observed in stressed fish. ► Evaluation of stress parameters as biological markers is highly sensitive in comparison with routinely used biomarkers. ► Δψm determination provides more immediate, quantitative risk assessment of potentially deleterious environmental exposures. ► Δψm could function as a novel candidate as a biomarker and could be exploited among the others in biomonitoring programs.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.06.020

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We used a tree-ring chronology as a proxy for annual area burned (AAB) in the northern Rockies, USA during AD 1626–2008. We correlated annual ring widths of alpine larch trees (Larex lyallii) sampled at a single high-elevation site in western Montana with AAB for the United States Forest Region 1. Radial growth was significantly associated with AAB (R2 = 0.35, p < 0.001), demonstrating the potential to use high-elevation conifers as markers of interannual variations in fire activity. The results suggest that the period 1929–1945 would have been the most active since the early 1600s had not extensive fire suppression and harvest activities altered the fire regime. Comparisons of the predicted values of area burned to a century-long fire atlas were significant for both the entire record (rs = 0.333, p < 0.01) and reconstruction period (rs = 0.645 p < 0.001). Similarly, predicted AAB was significantly correlated (r = 0.230) to fire-scar data during 1650–1900. These results suggest the feasibility of using tree-ring chronologies as an additional measure of fire activity, particularly as they allow an assessment and comparison of fire activity during centuries with and without fire suppression and harvest activities.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2011GL048119

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Six different species of lichens (Parmelia sulcata Tayl., Evernia prunastri (L.) Ach., Ramalina farinacea, Pseudevernia furfuracea (L.) Zopf., Usnea sp. and Lobaria pulmonaria (Schreb.) Hoffm.) were collected in two mountain valleys in Central Pyrenees: the Aspe and Aragon valleys. Two multivariate techniques have been applied with different purposes, ANOVA and Discriminant Analysis (DA), to evaluate the data. The PAHs spatial distribution was studied in the three more abundant and widespread species in the area: P. sulcata, E. prunastri (L.) Ach. and R. farinacea in terms of total PAHs, PAHs related to the combustion processes and toxicity. Different behaviour of each lichen species to trap PAHs was found, being P. sulcata the best one to monitor the most persistent PAHs of pyrogenic origin and E. prunastri the most appropriate to provide information about pyrogenic and petrogenic PAHs. Traffic was the most relevant influence in PAHs bioaccumulation in lichen species.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C0EM00681E

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The abundance of plastics in stomachs of northern fulmars from the North Sea is used in the OSPAR Ecological Quality Objective (EcoQO) for marine litter. The preliminary EcoQO defines acceptable ecological quality as the situation where no more than 10% of fulmars exceed a critical level of 0.1 g of plastic in the stomach. During 2003–2007, 95% of 1295 fulmars sampled in the North Sea had plastic in the stomach (on average 35 pieces weighing 0.31 g) and the critical level of 0.1 g of plastic was exceeded by 58% of birds, with regional variations ranging from 48 to 78%. Long term data for the Netherlands since the 1980s show a decrease of industrial, but an increase of user plastics, with shipping and fisheries as the main sources. The EcoQO is now also used as an indicator for Good Environmental Status in the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2011.06.008

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In this work, possible relationships between global DNA methylation and metal/metalloid concentrations in earthworms have been explored. Direct correlation was observed between soil and tissue As, Se, Sb, Zn, Cu, Mn, Ag, Co, Hg, Pb (p < 0.05). Speciation results obtained for As and Hg hint at the capability of earthworms for conversion of inorganic element forms present in soil to methylated species. Inverse correlation was observed between the percentage of methylated DNA cytosines and total tissue As, As + Hg, As + Hg + Se + Sb (β = −0.8456, p = 0.071; β = −0.9406, p = 0.017; β = −0.9526, p = 0.012 respectively), as well as inorganic As + Hg (β = −0.8807, p = 0.049). It was concluded that earthworms would be particularly helpful as bioindicators of elements undergoing in vivo methylation and might also be used to assess the related risk of epigenetic changes in DNA methylation.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2011.06.041

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