Oxidative Stress in Aquatic Ecosystems


Book Description

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are increasingly appreciated as down-stream effectors of cellular damage and dysfunction under natural and anthropogenic stress scenarios in aquatic systems. This comprehensive volume describes oxidative stress phenomena in different climatic zones and groups of organisms, taking into account specific habitat conditions and how they affect susceptibility to ROS damage. A comprehensive and detailed methods section is included which supplies complete protocols for analyzing ROS production, oxidative damage, and antioxidant systems. Methods are also evaluated with respect to applicability and constraints for different types of research. The authors are all internationally recognized experts in particular fields of oxidative stress research. This comprehensive reference volume is essential for students, researchers, and technicians in the field of ROS research, and also contains information useful for veterinarians, environmental health professionals, and decision makers.




UV Effects in Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems


Book Description

This book offers extensive coverage of the most important aspects of UVR effects on all aquatic (not just freshwater and marine) ecosystems, encompassing UV physics, chemistry, biology and ecology. Comprehensive and up-to-date, UV Effects in Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems aims to bridge the gap between environmental studies of UVR effects and the broader, traditional fields of ecology, oceanography and limnology. Adopting a synthetic approach, the different sections cover: the physical factors controlling UVR intensity in the atmosphere; the penetration and distribution of solar radiation in natural waters; the main photochemical process affecting natural and anthropogenic substances; and direct and indirect effects on organisms (from viruses, bacteria and algae to invertebrate and vertebrate consumers). Researchers and professionals in environmental chemistry, photochemistry, photobiology and cell and molecular biology will value this book, as will those looking at ozone depletion and global change.




Fish Ecotoxicology


Book Description

In modern ecotoxicology, fish have become the major vertebrate model, and a tremendous body of information has been accumulated. This volume attempts to summarize our present knowledge in several fields of primary ecotoxicological interest ranging from the use of (ultra)structural modifications of selected cell systems as sources of biomarkers for environmental impact over novel approaches to monitoring the impact of xenobiotics with fish in vitro systems such as primary and permanent fish cell cultures, the importance of early life-stage tests with fish, the bioaccumulation of xenobiotics in fish, the origin of liver neoplastic lesions in small fish species, immunocytochemical approaches to monitoring effects in cytochrome P450-related biotransformation, the impact of heavy metals in soft water systems, the environmental toxicology of organotin compounds, oxidative stress in fish by environmental pollutants to effects by estrogenic substances in aquatic systems.




Anthropogenic Pollution of Aquatic Ecosystems


Book Description

This book provides examples of pollutants, such as accidental oil spills and non-degradable plastic debris, which affect marine organisms of all taxa. Terrestrial runoff washes large amounts of dissolved organic materials from agriculture and industry, toxic heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and persistent organic pollutants which end up into rivers, coastal habitats, and open waters. While this book is not intended to encyclopaedically list all kinds of pollution, it rather exemplifies the problems by concentrating on a number of serious and prominent recent developments. The chapters in this book also discuss measures to decrease and remove aquatic pollution to mitigate the stress on aquatic organisms. Aquatic ecosystems provide a wide range of ecological and economical services. In addition to providing a large share of the staple diet for a fast growing human population, oceans absorb most of the anthropogenically emitted carbon dioxide and mitigate climate change. As well as rising temperatures and ocean acidification, pollution poses increasing problems for aquatic ecosystems and organisms reducing its functioning and services which are exposed to a plethora of stress factors.




The ELSI Handbook of Nanotechnology


Book Description

This Handbook focuses on the recent advancements in Safety, Risk, Ethical Society and Legal Implications (ESLI) as well as its commercialization of nanotechnology, such as manufacturing. Nano is moving out of its relaxation phase of scientific route, and as new products go to market, organizations all over the world, as well as the general public, are discussing the environmental and health issues associated with nanotechnology. Nongovernmental science organizations have long since reacted; however, now the social sciences have begun to study the cultural portent of nanotechnology. Societal concerns and their newly constructed concepts, show nanoscience interconnected with the economy, ecology, health, and governance. This handbook addresses these new challenges and is divided into 7 sections: Nanomaterials and the Environment; Life Cycle Environmental Implications of Nanomanufacturing; Bioavailability and Toxicity of Manufactured Nanoparticles in Terrestrial Environments; Occupational Health Hazards of Nanoparticles; Ethical Issues in Nanotechnology; Commercialization of Nanotechnology; Legalization of Nanotechnology.




Marine Anthropogenic Litter


Book Description

This book describes how man-made litter, primarily plastic, has spread into the remotest parts of the oceans and covers all aspects of this pollution problem from the impacts on wildlife and human health to socio-economic and political issues. Marine litter is a prime threat to marine wildlife, habitats and food webs worldwide. The book illustrates how advanced technologies from deep-sea research, microbiology and mathematic modelling as well as classic beach litter counts by volunteers contributed to the broad awareness of marine litter as a problem of global significance. The authors summarise more than five decades of marine litter research, which receives growing attention after the recent discovery of great oceanic garbage patches and the ubiquity of microscopic plastic particles in marine organisms and habitats. In 16 chapters, authors from all over the world have created a universal view on the diverse field of marine litter pollution, the biological impacts, dedicated research activities, and the various national and international legislative efforts to combat this environmental problem. They recommend future research directions necessary for a comprehensive understanding of this environmental issue and the development of efficient management strategies. This book addresses scientists, and it provides a solid knowledge base for policy makers, NGOs, and the broader public.




Freshwater Pollution and Aquatic Ecosystems


Book Description

This new volume addresses the environmental impacts of pollution on freshwater aquatic ecosystems and presents sustainable management and remediation practices and advanced technology help to address the different types of pollutants. Freshwater Pollution and Aquatic Ecosystems: Environmental Impact and Sustainable Management considers the need for sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective tools and technologies to assess, monitor, and properly manage the increasing issues of aquatic pollution. It provides detailed accounts of the phenomena and mechanisms related to aquatic pollution and highlights the problems and threats associated with pollution contamination in freshwater. It provides useful insight into the sustainable and advanced pollution remediation technology adopted by different countries for the monitoring, assessment, and sustainable management of pollution. The chapters in the volume evaluate the sources of harmful pollutants, which include industrial effluents, sewage, and runoff from agricultural industries, which result in toxic microbes, organic waste, oils, and high load of nutrients. Unsustainable management practices of domestic sewage and indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides lead to the technological disturbance of aquatic biota. In addition to harming aquatic biota, these pollutants find their way into the human body through inhalation, ingestion, or absorption and finally tend to bio-accumulate in trophic levels of the food chain, which poses a major risk to human beings. This book will be a valuable resource for ecologists, environmentalists, scientists, and many others for their work in understanding and management of aquatic pollutants in freshwater biospheres.




Reactive Oxygen, Nitrogen and Sulfur Species in Plants


Book Description

Presents a multidisciplinary analysis of the integration among reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and reactive sulfur species (RSS). Since plants are the main source of our food, the improvement of their productivity is the most important task for plant biologists. In this book, leading experts accumulate the recent development in the research on oxidative stress and approaches to enhance antioxidant defense system in crop plants. They discuss both the plant responses to oxidative stress and mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance, and cover all of the recent approaches towards understanding oxidative stress in plants, providing comprehensive information about the topics. It also discusses how reactive nitrogen species and reactive sulfur species regulate plant physiology and plant tolerance to environmental stresses. Reactive Oxygen, Nitrogen and Sulfur Species in Plants: Production, Metabolism, Signaling and Defense Mechanisms covers everything readers need to know in four comprehensive sections. It starts by looking at reactive oxygen species metabolism and antioxidant defense. Next, it covers reactive nitrogen species metabolism and signaling before going on to reactive sulfur species metabolism and signaling. The book finishes with a section that looks at crosstalk among reactive oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur species based on current research done by experts. Presents the newest method for understanding oxidative stress in plants. Covers both the plant responses to oxidative stress and mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance Details the integration among reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and reactive sulfur species (RSS) Written by 140 experts in the field of plant stress physiology, crop improvement, and genetic engineering Providing a comprehensive collection of up-to-date knowledge spanning from biosynthesis and metabolism to signaling pathways implicated in the involvement of RONSS to plant defense mechanisms, Reactive Oxygen, Nitrogen and Sulfur Species in Plants: Production, Metabolism, Signaling and Defense Mechanisms is an excellent book for plant breeders, molecular biologists, and plant physiologists, as well as a guide for students in the field of Plant Science.




The Toxicology of Fishes


Book Description

When looking for a book on fish toxicology, you might find one that discusses the biochemical and molecular aspects, or one that focuses aquatic toxicology in general. You can find resources that cover human and animal toxicology or ecotoxicology in general, but no up-to-date, comprehensive monograph devoted to the effects of chemical pollution on




Chemical Biomarkers in Aquatic Ecosystems


Book Description

This textbook provides a unique and thorough look at the application of chemical biomarkers to aquatic ecosystems. Defining a chemical biomarker as a compound that can be linked to particular sources of organic matter identified in the sediment record, the book indicates that the application of these biomarkers for an understanding of aquatic ecosystems consists of a biogeochemical approach that has been quite successful but underused. This book offers a wide-ranging guide to the broad diversity of these chemical biomarkers, is the first to be structured around the compounds themselves, and examines them in a connected and comprehensive way. This timely book is appropriate for advanced undergraduate and graduate students seeking training in this area; researchers in biochemistry, organic geochemistry, and biogeochemistry; researchers working on aspects of organic cycling in aquatic ecosystems; and paleoceanographers, petroleum geologists, and ecologists. Provides a guide to the broad diversity of chemical biomarkers in aquatic environments The first textbook to be structured around the compounds themselves Describes the structure, biochemical synthesis, analysis, and reactivity of each class of biomarkers Offers a selection of relevant applications to aquatic systems, including lakes, rivers, estuaries, oceans, and paleoenvironments Demonstrates the utility of using organic molecules as tracers of processes occurring in aquatic ecosystems, both modern and ancient