The eastern migratory population of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus plexippus) has declined by >80% within the last two decades. One possible cause of this decline is the loss of >= 1.3 billion stems of milkweed (Asclepias spp.), which monarchs require for reproduction. In an effort to restore monarchs to a population goal established by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and adopted by Mexico, Canada, and the US, we developed scenarios for amending the Midwestern US landscape with milkweed. Scenarios for milkweed restoration were developed for protected area grasslands, Conservation Reserve Program land, powerline, rail and roadside rights of way, urban/suburban lands, and land in agricultural production. Agricultural land was further divided into productive and marginal cropland. We elicited expert opinion as to the biological potential (in stems per acre) for lands in these individual sectors to support milkweed restoration and the likely adoption (probability) of management practices necessary for affecting restoration. Sixteen of 218 scenarios we developed for restoring milkweed to the Midwestern US were at levels (>1.3 billion new stems) necessary to reach the monarch population goal. One of these scenarios would convert all marginal agriculture to conserved status. The other 15 scenarios converted half of marginal agriculture (730 million stems), with remaining stems contributed by other societal sectors. Scenarios without substantive agricultural participation were insufficient for attaining the population goal. Agricultural lands are essential to reaching restoration targets because they occupy 77% of all potential monarch habitat. Barring fundamental changes to policy, innovative application of economic tools such as habitat exchanges may provide sufficient resources to tip the balance of the agro-ecological landscape toward a setting conducive to both robust agricultural production and reduced imperilment of the migratory monarch butterfly.

Glyphosate-based herbicides are the dominant pesticide on the market and are utilized worldwide in both the agricultural and forestry industries. Their prevalence comes at a time when concern over the potential effects of pesticide application in amphibian spawning grounds is growing. The primary goal of this thesis was to determine if the glyphosate-based herbicide WeatherMax® has the potential to disrupt sexual differentiation and growth in the wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) in a pulse exposure at the predicted maximal environmental concentration (PMEC) of 2.88 mg acid equivalent per liter. This was carried out in laboratory, mesocosm and in-situ field exposures, in an attempt to determine how a potential disruption might vary between experimental environments. In this study, tadpoles from three split-wetlands targeted at the PMEC for WeatherMax were found to display no significant change in survival or growth, however gene expression of several genes involved in steroidogenesis during sexual differentiation (cyp19, cyp17, star, foxl2) were found to be affected. The effects on these genes appeared to be dependant on the exposure concentration of WeatherMax in each wetland, which varied even though all three wetlands were meant to target the PMEC. The wetland that was measured as having the highest herbicide concentration (PMEC 13) was found to have a female biased sex ratio. The results found in the field varied from those found in the more artificial exposures. In the laboratory the PMEC of WeatherMax experienced complete mortality, whereas in the mesocosms survival was not significantly affected. Sex ratios were unaffected in the laboratory, however at the PMEC there was a significant male bias in the mesocosms. The discrepancies in the results obtained from the different exposure types highlights the importance of real world exposures. That the same concentration that caused complete mortality in the laboratory caused sublethal effects in the field is of importance as it denotes that these endpoints may not be easily investigated in these synthetic exposures. This project is a part of the Long Term Experimental Wetlands Area (LEWA) and contributes to the body of information amassed therein on the impact of a glyphosate-based herbicide on amphibians in a wetland ecosystem.

Routine monitoring of environmental pollution demands simplicity and speed without sacrificing sensitivity or accuracy. The development and application of sensitive, fast and easy to implement analytical methodologies for detecting emerging and traditional water and airborne contaminants in South Florida is presented. A novel method was developed for quantification of the herbicide glyphosate based on lyophilization followed by derivatization and simultaneous detection by fluorescence and mass spectrometry. Samples were analyzed from water canals that will hydrate estuarine wetlands of Biscayne National Park, detecting inputs of glyphosate from both aquatic usage and agricultural runoff from farms. A second study describes a set of fast, automated LC-MS/MS protocols for the analysis of dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS) and 2-butoxyethanol, two components of Corexit®. Around 1.8 million gallons of those dispersant formulations were used in the response efforts for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010. The methods presented here allow the trace-level detection of these compounds in seawater, crude oil and commercial dispersants formulations. In addition, two methodologies were developed for the analysis of well-known pollutants, namely Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and airborne particulate matter (APM). PAHs are ubiquitous environmental contaminants and some are potent carcinogens. Traditional GC-MS analysis is labor-intensive and consumes large amounts of toxic solvents. My study provides an alternative automated SPE-LC-APPI-MS/MS analysis with minimal sample preparation and a lower solvent consumption. The system can inject, extract, clean, separate and detect 28 PAHs and 15 families of alkylated PAHs in 28 minutes. The methodology was tested with environmental samples from Miami. Airborne Particulate Matter is a mixture of particles of chemical and biological origin. Assessment of its elemental composition is critical for the protection of sensitive ecosystems and public health. The APM collected from Port Everglades between 2005 and 2010 was analyzed by ICP-MS after acid digestion of filters. The most abundant elements were Fe and Al, followed by Cu, V and Zn. Enrichment factors show that hazardous elements (Cd, Pb, As, Co, Ni and Cr) are introduced by anthropogenic activities. Data suggest that the major sources of APM were an electricity plant, road dust, industrial emissions and marine vessels.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-26T18:56:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Murilo Mendes de Angelo.pdf: 1443900 bytes, checksum: f6d656f910c3210fd63e015a55ec60a4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-11-28 / The Agriculture in the Pontal do Paranapanema region is a major source of employment and income, with the highlight the cultivation of sugar cane. Along with the expansion of the cultivated area has been a substantial increase in the use of herbicides. Among the various existing herbicides in the domestic market, glyphosate, Roundup®, appears with great relevance in the agricultural scenario, because in addition to efficient has a broad spectrum of action. Moreover, their use also generates unwanted environmental impacts, such as changes in soil microbes and the generation of a taproot. Additionally, by leaching a part of glyphosate applied to crops can reach surface water, such as rivers. In the face of this problem, this study followed the process of degradation of glyphosate in a biological reactor, through the activated sludge process. Two studies, the first of which used a synthetic wastewater containing glyphosate as a source of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and sewage sludge. The second treatment was done under the same conditions first by adding a hydrogel polymer. These polymers are employed in the sugarcane plantations for water retention and can reach surface waters through leaching. The monitoring system was conducted through analysis of chemical oxygen demand (COD), amount of phosphorus, nitrogen, glyphosate, nitrite and nitrate, reaction temperature, pH and Dissolved Oxygen. The results demonstrate that the treatment of the effluent containing only glyphosate is more efficient than treatment containing glyphosate and the hydrogel polymer. / A agricultura na região do Pontal do Paranapanema é uma das principais fontes de emprego e de renda, tendo como destaque o cultivo da cana de açúcar. Junto com a expansão da área cultivada tem ocorrido um aumento substancial na utilização de herbicidas. Dentre os vários herbicidas existentes no mercado nacional, o glifosato, Roundup®, aparece com grande relevância no cenário agrícola, pois além de eficiente possui um amplo espectro de ação. Por outro lado, a sua utilização também acaba gerando impactos ambientais indesejados, como a alteração na microbiota do solo e a geração da raiz pivotante. Adicionalmente, através da lixiviação, uma parte do glifosato aplicado nas lavouras pode atingir as águas superficiais, como por exemplo a dos rios. Em face deste problema, o presente trabalho acompanhou o processo de degradação do glifosato, em um reator biológico, por meio do processo de lodos ativados. Dois estudos foram realizados, sendo que o primeiro utilizou um efluente sintético contendo glifosato como fonte de carbono, nitrogênio e fósforo e o lodo de esgoto. O segundo tratamento foi realizado sob as mesmas condições do primeiro, adicionando-se um polímero hidroabsorvente. Estes polímeros são empregados nas plantações canavieiras para a retenção da água e também podem atingir as águas superficiais, através da lixiviação. O monitoramento do sistema foi realizado através das análises da demanda química de oxigênio (DQO), quantidade de fósforo, de nitrogênio, do glifosato, do nitrito e do nitrato, temperatura do reator, pH e Oxigênio Dissolvido. Os resultados demostraram que o tratamento do efluente contendo apenas o glifosato é mais eficiente do que o tratamento contendo o glifosato e o polímero hidroabsorvente.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-18T17:46:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Murilo Mendes de Angelo.pdf: 1443900 bytes, checksum: f6d656f910c3210fd63e015a55ec60a4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-11-28 / The Agriculture in the Pontal do Paranapanema region is a major source of employment and income, with the highlight the cultivation of sugar cane. Along with the expansion of the cultivated area has been a substantial increase in the use of herbicides. Among the various existing herbicides in the domestic market, glyphosate, Roundup®, appears with great relevance in the agricultural scenario, because in addition to efficient has a broad spectrum of action. Moreover, their use also generates unwanted environmental impacts, such as changes in soil microbes and the generation of a taproot. Additionally, by leaching a part of glyphosate applied to crops can reach surface water, such as rivers. In the face of this problem, this study followed the process of degradation of glyphosate in a biological reactor, through the activated sludge process. Two studies, the first of which used a synthetic wastewater containing glyphosate as a source of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and sewage sludge. The second treatment was done under the same conditions first by adding a hydrogel polymer. These polymers are employed in the sugarcane plantations for water retention and can reach surface waters through leaching. The monitoring system was conducted through analysis of chemical oxygen demand (COD), amount of phosphorus, nitrogen, glyphosate, nitrite and nitrate, reaction temperature, pH and Dissolved Oxygen. The results demonstrate that the treatment of the effluent containing only glyphosate is more efficient than treatment containing glyphosate and the hydrogel polymer. / A agricultura na região do Pontal do Paranapanema é uma das principais fontes de emprego e de renda, tendo como destaque o cultivo da cana de açúcar. Junto com a expansão da área cultivada tem ocorrido um aumento substancial na utilização de herbicidas. Dentre os vários herbicidas existentes no mercado nacional, o glifosato, Roundup®, aparece com grande relevância no cenário agrícola, pois além de eficiente possui um amplo espectro de ação. Por outro lado, a sua utilização também acaba gerando impactos ambientais indesejados, como a alteração na microbiota do solo e a geração da raiz pivotante. Adicionalmente, através da lixiviação, uma parte do glifosato aplicado nas lavouras pode atingir as águas superficiais, como por exemplo a dos rios. Em face deste problema, o presente trabalho acompanhou o processo de degradação do glifosato, em um reator biológico, por meio do processo de lodos ativados. Dois estudos foram realizados, sendo que o primeiro utilizou um efluente sintético contendo glifosato como fonte de carbono, nitrogênio e fósforo e o lodo de esgoto. O segundo tratamento foi realizado sob as mesmas condições do primeiro, adicionando-se um polímero hidroabsorvente. Estes polímeros são empregados nas plantações canavieiras para a retenção da água e também podem atingir as águas superficiais, através da lixiviação. O monitoramento do sistema foi realizado através das análises da demanda química de oxigênio (DQO), quantidade de fósforo, de nitrogênio, do glifosato, do nitrito e do nitrato, temperatura do reator, pH e Oxigênio Dissolvido. Os resultados demostraram que o tratamento do efluente contendo apenas o glifosato é mais eficiente do que o tratamento contendo o glifosato e o polímero hidroabsorvente.

Orientador: Aldo Eloizo Job / Resumo: O Brasil tem sido destaque na produção agrícola mundial, exportando uma grande variedade de grãos para o mundo todo. Para que esses patamares de produção sejam alcançados é necessário o emprego de diversos insumos agrícolas, como os herbicidas, dentre os quais o mais comum e utilizado comercialmente é o glifosato. No entanto, o aumento no uso de defensivos agrícolas tem, por consequência, aumentado o índice de contaminação de águas pluviais ou de lençol freático. Dentre os métodos de remoção de poluentes de água, como o de coagulação, eletro-floculação, filtração por membrana e oxidação, destaca-se o processo de adsorção, ecológico e eficaz na remoção de contaminantes orgânicos e inorgânicos de águas e gases. Neste trabalho, realizou-se o tratamento químico do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar com hidróxido de sódio e ácido sulfúrico a fim de utilizá-lo como material adsorvente para remoção de glifosato em meio aquoso. Foram feitos ensaios para determinar o potencial de carga zero, pH, capacidade e intensidade da adsorção assim como a cinética do processo. Os resultados demonstraram que o bagaço submetido ao tratamento alcalino se mostrou mais eficiente que o tratamento ácido, com pH ideal de adsorção igual a 9, e ajuste ao modelo de Langmuir, indicando que a quimiossorção governa o mecanismo de adsorção cuja máxima capacidade de adsorção foi de 13,720 mg g-1 obtida em quarenta minutos. / Abstract: Brazil has been prominent in world agricultural production, exporting a wide variety of grains to the whole world. In order to reach these production levels, it is necessary to employ several agricultural inputs, such as herbicides, among which the most common and commercially used is glyphosate. However, the increased use of pesticides has, consequently, increased the index of contamination of rainwater or groundwater. Among the methods of water pollutant removal such as coagulation, electro-flocculation, membrane filtration and oxidation, highlight the adsorption process, ecological and efficient in the removal of organic and inorganic contaminants from water and gasses. In this work, the chemical treatment of sugarcane bagasse with sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid was carried out in order to use it as an adsorbent material to remove glyphosate in aqueous solution. Assays were performed to determine zero charge potential, pH, capacity and adsorption intensity as well as process kinetics. The results showed that the bagasse submitted to the alkaline treatment was more efficient than the acid treatment, with an ideal adsorption pH by 9, and adjustment to the Langmuir model, indicating that the chemosorption governs the adsorption mechanism whose maximum adsorption capacity was higher of 13,720 mg g-1 obtained in forty minutes. / Mestre

No description available.

Potential long-term (~7months) sub-lethal impacts of soil-applied low levels of Roundup herbicide formulation were investigated in a greenhouse environment using the vegetative clones of succulent non-crop plant model, Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken. An eleven day LC50 (concentration that killed 50% of the plants) was found to be 6.25% (~1.25mg glyphosate/mL and 1.25mg pelargonic acid/mL combined), and complete mortality occurred at 12.5%, of the field application rate (i.e., ~20mg glyphosate/mL and 20mg pelargonic acid/mL as active ingredients). While sub-lethal Roundup (1-5%) exposures led to hormesis-characterized by a significant increase in biomass and vegetative reproduction, higher concentrations (≥6.25%) were toxic. A significant interaction between Roundup concentrations and leaf biomass was found to influence the F1 plantlets' biomass. Biomass asymmetry generally increased with increasing Roundup concentrations, indicating that plants were more stressed at higher Roundup treatments but within the low-dose regime (≤5% of the as-supplied formulation). While leaf apex region demonstrated higher reproduction with lower biomass increase, leaf basal area showed lower reproduction with greater biomass increase, in plantlets. The results suggest long-term exposures to drifted low levels of Roundup in soil may promote biomass and reproduction in B. pinnatum.

Le compostage est un procédé anthropique basé sur le processus naturel de décomposition de la biomasse qui exploite l'activité enzymatique des microorganismes sous le contrôle de plusieurs facteurs environnementaux. Les résidus lignocellulosiques de par leur composition et leur faible pourcentage d'humidité sont particulièrement adaptés au compostage dans lequel ils jouent le rôle d’élément structurant. Bien que majoritairement d’origine végétale, la matière organique dirigée vers les sites de compostages est très diversifiée, tout comme les types de contaminants qu’elle peut incidemment contenir et dont l’impact sur les processus de biodégradation, et de surcroit leur rémanence dans l’environnement, reste largement à investiguer. L’objectif de cette thèse vise ainsi à faire état de l’effet de la composition de la biomasse lignocellulosique et de la présence d’un contaminant fréquent tel que le glyphosate sur le compostage. Pour ce faire, le suivi de la transformation de la matière organique végétale et de la dégradation du glyphosate, l’évolution des paramètres physicochimiques et la dynamique de recrutement des populations bactériennes ont été effectués tout au long du processus. Deux expériences menées sur le terrain visaient dans un premier temps à mesurer l’effet de l’âge d’une plante ligneuse, dans ce cas-ci le saule arbustif (Salix), et d’une période d’entreposage hivernal sur la transformation de la biomasse, et dans un deuxième temps à étudier les dynamiques de succession bactériennes impliquées dans le cycle du carbone et de l’azote lors du compostage de résidus végétaux. Les résultats obtenus ont révélé une différence dans la composition de la biomasse des tiges âgées de 2 ans et de 3 ans. Alors que les premiers contenaient plus de composés extractibles, les seconds étaient plus riches en sucres structuraux. Ces différences expliquent une hausse des températures plus forte et plus rapide dans le tas de copeaux de tiges plus jeunes. La diminution des composés extractibles, la conservation des sucres structuraux et l’augmentation de la proportion de lignine démontrent l’importance de la source de carbone soluble pour l’initiation de la décomposition du bois et la récalcitrance des éléments lignocellulosiques durant l’entreposage hivernal. La seconde expérience a mis en évidence une très grande diversité de bactéries responsables de la décomposition de la cellulose, des hémicelluloses et de la lignine durant la phase thermophile du compostage. Cette phase qui était le théâtre d’une activité intense comptait moins d’espèces, mais ces dernières étaient très abondantes, une tendance qui s’est inversée avec la maturation de la matière organique. La dynamique observée traduit une redondance fonctionnelle des communautés qui semblent évoluer selon la température, le taux d’oxygène et la nature du substrat disponible. Une troisième expérience menée en milieu contrôlé a ensuite démontré l’impact négligeable du glyphosate sur l’activité microbienne et l’évolution des paramètres physicochimiques lors du compostage. Le glyphosate était presque ou entièrement dégradé à l’issue du compostage et la présence du principal produit de dégradation, l’acide aminométhylphosphonique (AMPA) n’a d’ailleurs même pas pu être quantifiée durant l’expérience. L’impact du glyphosate sur les communautés bactériennes était également négligeable. Seules quelques bactéries étaient différentiellement abondantes entre les deux traitements, la grande majorité étant moins abondante dans le traitement contenant du glyphosate. La richesse en espèces aux différents temps d’échantillonnage était la même entre le traitement témoin et le traitement contenant du glyphosate « pur » et l’analyse de la bêta-diversité n’a relevé aucune différence significative entre les communautés présentes dans le traitement témoin et le traitement glyphosate. Cette thèse a ainsi fait valoir l’importance de la nature initiale de la matière organique sur l’activité microbienne, le recrutement et la dynamique des communautés durant le compostage, tandis que la présence du contaminant glyphosate s’est présenté comme un facteur beaucoup moins déterminant sur les processus de décomposition et l’abondance des espèces bactériennes. Ces informations devraient non seulement permettre d’optimiser le traitement de la matière organique par compostage, mais aussi de mieux évaluer les risques potentiels associés au compostage de biomasse contaminé. / Composting is an anthropic process based on the natural decay of biomass that exploits the enzymatic activity of microorganisms under the control of several environmental factors. Due to their composition and low moisture content, lignocellulosic residues are particularly suitable for composting and serve as a structuring element, which confers them an important role in the process. Although mostly of plant origin, the organic matter (OM) directed towards composting sites is highly diversified, as are the types of contaminants it can contain. The impact of these contaminants, such as glyphosate, on the biodegradation process and their persistence in the environment remain to be investigated. The objective of this thesis is thus to report on the effect of the composition of the lignocellulosic biomass and the presence of glyphosate on the evolution of the physicochemical parameters and the recruitment of bacteria during composting, while ensuring the follow-up of the transformation of the vegetable organic matter and the degradation of glyphosate during the process. Two field studies were conducted to measure the effect of stem age and winter storage on the transformation of wood chips, and to study the dynamics of bacterial succession involved in the carbon and nitrogen cycle during the composting of plant residues. The results obtained revealed a difference in the composition of 2-year-old and 3-year-old stems from shrub willow (Salix sp.), with the younger ones containing more extractable compounds and the more mature ones richer in structural sugars. These differences were reflected in a higher and faster temperature rise in the younger chip pile. A decrease in extractives, retention of structural sugars, and an increase in the proportion of lignin demonstrate the importance of the soluble carbon source for the initiation of wood decomposition and recalcitrance of lignocellulosic elements. The second experiment revealed a very high diversity of bacteria responsible for the decomposition of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin during the thermophilic phase of composting. This phase, during which intense activity took place, had fewer species, but they were very abundant, a trend that reversed as the organic matter matured. The observed dynamics reflect a functional redundancy of the communities, which seems to evolve according to the temperature, oxygen level and nature of the available substrate. A third experiment conducted in a controlled environment demonstrated the negligible impact of glyphosate on microbial activity and the evolution of physicochemical parameters during composting. Glyphosate was almost or completely degraded after composting, while the main product of degradation, aminoethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), was not detected. The impact of glyphosate on bacterial communities was also negligible, while species richness at different sampling times was the same when comparing the control treatment and the treatment containing "pure" glyphosate. The beta-diversity analysis found no significant difference between the communities present in the control and glyphosate treatments, while a few bacteria were differentially abundant between the two treatments, the vast majority being less abundant in the glyphosate treatment. This thesis has thus highlighted the importance of the initial nature of the organic matter on microbial activity as well as on the recruitment and dynamics of bacterial communities during composting, while the presence of glyphosate was shown to be a weak determinant of decomposition processes and species abundance. This information should help to optimize the treatment of organic matter by composting and to better assess the potential risks associated with composting contaminated biomass.

From 2019 to 2020, greenhouse and field research was conducted at North Dakota State University to investigate the canopy temperature response of waterhemp (Amaranthus rudis), kochia (Kochia scoparia), common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), horseweed (Conyza canadensis), Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri), and red root pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) after glyphosate application to identify glyphosate resistance. In these experiments, thermal images were captured of randomized glyphosate resistant populations and glyphosate susceptible populations of each weed species. The weed canopies' thermal values were extracted and submitted to statistical testing and various classifiers in an attempt to discriminate between resistant and susceptible populations. Glyphosate resistant horseweed, when collected within greenhouse conditions, was the only biotype reliably classified using significantly cooler temperature signatures than its susceptible counterpart. For field conditions, image based machine learning classifiers using thermal data were outperformed by classifiers made using additional multispectral data, suggesting thermal is not a reliable predictor of glyphosate resistance.