Search Results (136)

Vernal ponds are temporary, isolated bodies of water that lack vertebrate predators like fish. Palmer Park in Detroit, MI, USA, contains an old-growth forest with multiple vernal ponds that are home to numerous invertebrates, including water mites, which are the main focus of this study. These vernal ponds are unique since they are geographically isolated in the middle of an urban landscape. Previous research discovered new species of non-biting midges in Palmer Park vernal ponds, suggesting the potential for the discovery of previously undocumented organisms and relationships in this ecosystem. Here we document the invertebrate species found in the vernal ponds of Palmer Park, both to illustrate their diversity and to determine their cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcode sequences. COI barcode sequences are used in this study to verify identification and provide reference sequences for comparison to sequences in the diets of water mites also collected from the ponds. Three taxa of water mites found in Palmer Park Pond A are Hydryphantes waynensis, Parathyas sp., and Hydryphantes sp. (distinct from H. waynensis by having a COI barcode sequence 11.6% different from Hydryphantes sp.). This paper also uses Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to analyze the complex diets of the water mites at Palmer Park. The diets consisted of a diversity of species of oligochaetes, mosquitoes, non-biting midges, crustaceans, flies, and beetles. Beetles identified as whole organisms in the ponds or from diet-detected bar codes in vernal pond water mites include Copelatus glyphicus, Acilius sp., and Hygrotus sayi. The diets of water mites in these vernal ponds are compared to previous molecular studies in which water mites in a riverine lagoon were identified as opportunistic predators of a diverse invertebrate diet. Beetle DNA was consistently detected in association with water mites, suggesting a potential and previously unreported dietary or ecological interaction; however, alternative explanations such as external contamination by environmental DNA or secondary ingestion cannot be excluded. Beetles have not previously been reported in water mite diets, so this finding represents a new discovery. This molecular analysis revealed taxa and novel COI barcode sequences not observed through traditional sampling, highlighting the value of water mites for community characterization. These results support the hypothesis that water mites are opportunistic predators, uniquely reports beetles as putative components of their diets, and emphasizes their ecological importance and utility in assessing vernal pond biodiversity. Full article

The adoption of the Ecological and Environmental Code of the People’s Republic of China (March 2026) marks the arrival of the codification era. Building upon existing provisions in the Civil Procedure Law, the Code empowers procuratorial organs and qualified social organizations to initiate environmental civil public interest litigation against acts that harm the public ecological interests. Nevertheless, amid growing demands for preventive governance, room remains for systematic adjustment of the supporting rules governing plaintiff standing. From the perspective of risk-society theory, the preventive function of environmental law requires the scope of protected interest-in-litigation to be moderately extended from traditional actual harm to significant environmental risks. This expansion provokes reflections on the representative qualification within risk-sharing communities and the scope of actionable claims, and constitutes the internal driving force for optimising the plaintiff-standing system. Within China’s current normative system, several issues related to plaintiff standing still deserve attention. Rules on preventive public-interest litigation concerning significant risks are stipulated only in judicial interpretations and have not yet been confirmed by higher-rank legislation. Supplementary restrictions on procuratorial organs’ litigation status set out in judicial interpretations are inconsistent with provisions of the Code. Thresholds for social-organisation plaintiffs remain open to improvement. In addition, existing legislation excludes citizens from public-interest-litigation plaintiffs, leaving theoretical room for exploring limited plaintiff standing for citizens. Adopting normative analysis and case-study methods, this paper draws on risk-society theory, domestic legal norms and judicial practice to examine the legal logic and practical dilemmas of plaintiff standing in environmental civil public-interest litigation in the codification era. It develops differentiated institutional arrangements for three categories of litigants. The findings provide ideas for the implementation of supporting rules under the Code and offer theoretical references for institutional evolution oriented toward preventive governance demands in the future. Full article

This study investigates the impacts of human activities and climate variability on hydrologic alterations in the Mobile River and Perdido River Basins of Alabama. The research uses a machine learning approach, specifically cubist models, to quantify and predict changes in flow duration curves (FDCs) under both historical (1980–2009) and future climate scenarios. Future climate projections include the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) and the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP2 4.5 and SSP5 8.5), evaluated for two future periods: 1980–2069 and 1980–2099. The models incorporate a wide range of covariates, including basin geomorphology, aquifer characteristics, land cover, water storage, environmental factors, solar radiation, census data, and water use data. Under the baseline period (1980–2009), most level 12 hydrologic unit codes (HUC12s) in both basins showed alterations, with substantial differences observed between pre- and post-alteration FDCs. The model performance varied, with a Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency between 0.91 and 0.95 for testing and between 0.98 and 0.99 for training during the baseline period. Future projections under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios generally differed significantly from baseline conditions across all flow regimes (p < 0.05). In contrast, SSP2 4.5 showed comparatively limited statistical significance, while SSP5 8.5 exhibited significant departures from baseline conditions across all flow regimes, reflecting the greater influence of high-emissions climate forcing on projected hydrologic alterations. Overall, the RCP scenarios projected more widespread statistically significant changes than the corresponding SSP scenarios at the same forcing level, particularly when comparing RCP4.5 with SSP2-4.5, while both RCP8.5 and SSP5-8.5 consistently indicated greater hydrologic alterations than their moderate-emissions counterparts. These findings highlight the importance of considering different flow regimes when assessing the impacts of climate variability on streamflow. This study contributes to the understanding of hydrologic alterations in the Mobile River and Perdido River Basins, providing insights for water resource management and ecological conservation efforts in the region. Full article

Background/Objectives: The increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States suggests a possible role for environmental exposures that potentially alter thyroid hormone regulation through cellular toxicity. 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a commonly used herbicide that can act as an endocrine disruptor and may be toxic to the thyroid gland. This ecological study examined county-level associations of 2,4-D use and age-adjusted incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States. Methods: The study utilized age-adjusted incidence rates for thyroid cancer for 2017–2021 through the CDC database. County-level 2,4-D use data was obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey and averaged over two time periods: 2003–2007 (10-year lag) and 2008–2012 (5-year lag). The association between 2,4-D use and thyroid cancer incidence was tested using linear mixed effects models. We further stratified the data analyses by sex and rurality (using the Rural–Urban Continuum Codes, RUCC 6–9 codes). For this study, statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: In nationwide analyses, no significant associations were found in combined (5-year lag: p = 0.218; 10-year lag: p = 0.276) and sex-stratified models (males: p = 0.540 and p = 0.497; females: p = 0.222 and p = 0.353, for the 5- and 10-year lags, respectively). In analyses limited to rural counties, 2,4-D exposure was significantly associated with greater thyroid cancer incidence for both the 5-year (p = 0.004) and 10-year (p = 0.006) lag periods for the total population. Conclusions: The strong associations observed in rural counties suggest that agricultural context may influence the observed relationship between county-level 2,4-D use and thyroid cancer incidence. Additional mechanistic and longitudinal studies are required to establish causality and to elucidate underlying endocrine pathways. Full article

The Hetao Irrigation District in arid northwestern China presents a significant challenge in balancing agricultural intensification and water conservation, particularly in its terminal lake, Wuliangsu Lake. This study examined how changes in Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) and cropping structures influenced the lake’s water quality. By using remote sensing data for LULC classification and agricultural statistics for crop composition, we analyzed the spatio-temporal variation in LULC and cropping structure in the irrigation district and quantified the associated agricultural non-point source pollution loads (total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand) entering the lake. A calibrated Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code model was applied to evaluate water quality responses to cropping structure optimization. Our findings revealed significant shifts in LULC and cropping structure during the study period, driven by agricultural intensification, ecological restoration policies, urbanization, market forces, and national food security strategies. Concurrently, agricultural non-point source pollution loads into the lake showed a steady declining trend from 2018 to 2023, with total nitrogen (TN) decreasing by 15%, total phosphorus (TP) by 16.9%, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 19.4%. Model simulations demonstrated that optimizing the cropping structure, specifically by reducing the area of high-fertilizer crops (sunflower) and expanding low-fertilizer crops (spring wheat) and forage crops for ecological purposes, could further improve lake water quality. Under the intensive adjustment scenario, the inflow loads of TN, TP, and COD decreased by 10%, 11.7%, and 10.9%, respectively, while the corresponding in-lake concentrations decreased by 22.1%, 19.8%, and 18.7%, respectively. TP exhibited the highest sensitivity to such adjustments. By linking cropping structure adjustments with hydrodynamic-water quality modeling, this study provides a quantitative framework for assessing water quality responses in arid irrigated systems, offering a scientific basis for balancing agricultural production and water ecosystem protection in the Hetao district and similar regions. Full article

Just energy transitions in the Global South unfold under conditions of institutional fragmentation, fiscal constraints, and high socio-ecological turbulence, making governance capacity a critical bottleneck for effective decarbonization and climate justice. This study proposes the Cybernetic Environmental Hub (CEH) framework, which extends the Viable System Model (VSM) to sustainability governance by integrating AIoT-enabled environmental monitoring, Early Warning Systems, decentralized data governance, and justice-centered institutional design. Methodologically, the article is primarily a conceptual framework paper accompanied by an illustrative single-site qualitative case study designed to probe the plausibility and diagnostic utility of the proposed architecture rather than to generate statistical generalization. The research combines theoretical development with participatory territorial diagnostics in the Caribbean Mining Corridor, where socio-ecological challenges were collected through participatory innovation workshops, thematically coded, and mapped onto the five VSM subsystems to identify systemic “variety gaps.” The analysis indicates that fragmented operational initiatives coexist with weak meta-systemic coordination, limiting adaptive capacity in energy transition processes. The CEH architecture is proposed to address these deficiencies by embedding AIoT sensing, federated learning, blockchain-based coordination, and Early Warning Systems within recursive governance structures and is grounded in a real cyber-physical deployment of around 90 monitoring stations across Albania, La Jagua de Ibirico and Algarrobo. The study also introduces a Territorial Governance Maturity Model (H1–H3) to diagnose systemic learning capacities and transition readiness across technological, institutional, data governance, and justice dimensions. The findings suggest that cybernetic environmental hubs may function as socio-technical infrastructures supporting coordinated, adaptive, and justice-centered energy transitions in the Global South, while comparative empirical evidence remains an agenda for future work. Full article

Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) are ubiquitous post-transcriptional regulators that enable rapid bacterial adaptation to fluctuating environments. Previous reviews have largely focused on sRNA mechanisms in model organisms. This review integrates computational prediction, meta-omics-based discovery, and synthetic biology applications of small regulatory RNAs in marine and environmental prokaryotes, providing a multi-layered perspective from identification to functional and engineering applications. The current landscape of sRNA identification tools is critically evaluated, with emphasis on strategies to overcome challenges such as false-positive predictions. Recent advances in mapping the RNA interactome and emerging evidence of previously underappreciated roles of sRNAs in environmental adaptation are discussed. Additionally, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic studies revealing the diversity of environmental sRNAs in uncultured microbial communities are summarized, highlighting their ecological significance. Finally, a curated overview of synthetic sRNA applications in metabolic engineering, including target genes and enhanced product yields, is provided as a resource for strain engineering. Collectively, this review provides a holistic view of prokaryotic sRNA biology, distinguishing it from more narrowly focused studies. Overall, sRNAs are highlighted as key regulatory elements linking microbial environmental adaptation with emerging biotechnological applications through advances in meta-omics guided discovery and synthetic RNA engineering. Full article

Waterborne, water-related, and foodborne infectious diseases remain preventable causes of mortality, but long-term evidence on their demographic, spatial, and premature mortality burden is limited in Costa Rica. This ecological population-based study described deaths classified under selected ICD-10 codes during 2000–2023 using official mortality and population data. Crude and age-standardized mortality rates, years of life lost (YLL), and YLL rates were estimated by time, sex, age group, and geographic area. A total of 2450 deaths were identified. Diarrhea and gastroenteritis of presumed infectious origin accounted for 1537 deaths (62.7%), followed by other bacterial intestinal infections (23.8%) and leptospirosis (7.0%). Annual crude mortality rates ranged from 1.28 per 100,000 population in 2021 to 3.03 in 2017. Mortality showed a bimodal age pattern, with the highest rate among persons aged 75 years or older and a relevant early-childhood component. A total of 57,625.5 YLL were estimated, with the largest burden among children aged 0–4 years and the highest provincial YLL rates in Limón, Puntarenas, and Guanacaste. These findings support incorporating premature mortality metrics into environmental health surveillance, although the ecological design does not identify exposure sources or causal determinants. Full article

Seismic codes in high-risk earthquake zones magnify the embodied environmental impact of buildings by increasing structural mass. While the existing literature evaluates this burden holistically, this study isolates the environmental penalty of seismic design at the component level using building information modeling (BIM). Within this scope, an eight-story reinforced concrete residential building was modeled at LOD 300 and comparatively analyzed under TBDY-2018 (seismic) and a strictly theoretical TS-500 (gravity-only) baseline scenario. This gravity-only model acts solely as a mathematical isolation tool rather than a buildable design option. Using the CML 2001 methodology and Türkiye-specific environmental product declarations (EPDs), calculations covered the production (A1–A3), end-of-life (C1–C4), and recovery (Module D) stages of the building. Findings reveal that seismic mass increases create a nonlinear, asymmetric effect on environmental indicators. Increased concrete volume dictates the global warming potential (GWP), whereas steel reinforcement—driven by ductility demands—elevates the photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP) and acidification potential (AP) much more aggressively than concrete. Conversely, while seismic reinforcement provides a negative emission credit during the recovery stage (Module D), quantitative analysis reveals that this circular benefit is marginally small (offsetting approximately 2% of the steel-related GWP), proving mathematically insufficient to neutralize the massive upfront ecological debt. Consequently, the additional environmental penalty necessitated by seismic safety must be managed through early-stage BIM optimization and alternative mitigation strategies, such as seismic isolation. Full article

The study aimed to analyze how peasant economies in the municipality of Caicedonia recognize, classify, and manage functional biodiversity associated with coffee, plantain, and orange production systems to propose a contextualized framework for species accounting and ecological cost assessment within the coffee ecosystem. A qualitative interpretive approach with exploratory quantitative support was adopted through an exploratory descriptive design and participatory action research methodology. The study integrated 21 semi structured interviews conducted with producers managing approximately 61 associated crop units distributed across diversified farming systems. Data collection included field visits, direct observation, participatory species identification exercises, and thematic interviews focused on ecological functions, agricultural practices, biodiversity management, and perceived environmental impacts. The methodological framework additionally incorporated thematic coding, functional species classification, ecological cost identification, process and strategy mapping, descriptive frequency analysis, and multiple correspondence analysis to explore relationships among crop systems, species, ecological functions, management practices, and environmental pressures. The findings indicate that producers develop consistent empirical classifications regarding pests, pollinators, biological control organisms, and ecological indicators while recognizing cumulative ecological impacts associated with intensive agricultural practices. Quantitative exploration analysis revealed differentiated ecological configurations according to crop system and biodiversity management dynamics, supporting contextualized biodiversity accounting for sustainable agronomic decision making. Full article

Soils are critical microbial habitats that support terrestrial ecosystem functioning and harbor numerous uncultured and functionally uncharacterized microbial groups. The black soil region in northeast China is a key agricultural ecosystem globally, yet the classification and functional understanding of its crucial microbial groups remain underexplored. In this study, we identified three high-completeness metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the Global Mollisols Genomic Atlas (GMGA). Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses identified these genomes as representing a novel evolutionary branch within the genus Flavobacterium, classified under the phylum Bacteroidota. Their novel taxonomic position is further supported by average nucleotide identity (ANI) and average amino acid identity (AAI) thresholds, demonstrating significant divergence from all known reference genomes. Functional annotation indicated that this species possesses strong plant polysaccharide degradation potential and a chemoheterotrophic lifestyle, together with environmental stress tolerance and a specialized nitrogen metabolic network adapted to agricultural inputs, thereby conferring a metabolic advantage in black soil environments characterized by high organic matter input and marked seasonal fluctuations. In addition, global distribution analysis showed that this lineage is widely distributed across diverse ecosystems and is significantly enriched in soil habitats, particularly in environments with fluctuating carbon sources and high organic matter inputs. The new species is most abundant in temperate soils, with the northeast black soil region of China emerging as a key hotspot. Based on these findings, and because no pure culture is currently available, we propose Candidatus Flavobacterium genomatis based on genome-resolved metagenomic evidence and in alignment with the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes rules for uncultivated prokaryotes. Our results expand the known species diversity of the genus Flavobacterium and suggest potential ecological roles of uncultured black-soil microbes in carbon and nitrogen cycling, including possible involvement in N₂O reduction under suitable environmental conditions. Full article

Objective: Naegleria fowleri, known as the brain-eating amoeba, is a thermophilic, freshwater amoeba causing primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a disease that progresses rapidly from symptom onset to death. Climate change is causing surface water temperatures to increase, providing a hospitable environment for N. fowleri, possibly increasing risk factors for PAM. This review synthesizes the peer-reviewed biomedical literature published between January 2012 and December 2025, examining the risk of N. fowleri infection in the context of a warming climate. Methods: A scoping review was conducted searching PubMed, Scopus, and Environment Complete. Data were extracted using a structured coding framework, and risk dimensions were derived inductively during the coding process. Results: Twenty-seven articles met inclusion criteria. Analysis revealed four dimensions of risk (environmental, behavioral, clinical/biological, and infrastructural). The environmental risk dimension highlighted gaps in understanding geographic range expansion and organism ecology. The behavioral dimension identified recreational water exposure, sinus rinsing, and travel as primary risk drivers. The clinical/biological dimension highlighted the need for standards and capacity in diagnosis and treatment, as well as research into pathogenicity. The infrastructural dimension identified gaps in water distribution system surveillance and disinfectant efficacy at high temperatures. Discussion: This review maps environmental, behavioral, clinical/biological, and infrastructural dimensions of N. fowleri disease risk onto a hazard/exposure/vulnerability framework, highlighting major gaps surrounding exposure and vulnerability. Uncertainties remain in hazard habitat favorability factors, human behavior, and water distribution systems. Emphasis should be placed on characterizing the hazard through environmental testing and determining geographic range, and addressing vulnerability by increasing clinician awareness, which serves double duty in both initiating early empiric treatment and efforts to quantify true disease burden. Full article

The holistic assessment of building life cycles requires integrating economic, environmental, and social dimensions, including occupational risks and cost management. However, building maintenance planning is often treated separately from sustainability assessment and construction cost classification systems. This study proposes a methodology that integrates maintenance and repair budgets with sustainability evaluation through a unified coding structure linking construction and maintenance work units. The approach combines economic cost analysis, environmental footprint indicators (carbon, water, energy, and ecological footprints), and occupational risk assessment within a life cycle framework. The methodology incorporates prevention through design by analyzing ergonomic and safety risks associated with construction work units and predicting future risks throughout the building’s service life. The structure has four phases: temporal planning of interventions, classification and coding of work units, impact analysis using sustainability indicators, and synthesis of results in a maintenance planning model. The data is integrated in a database using an exchange format compatible with sustainability analysis tools and BIM environments. The methodology is applied through a case study of social housing in Andalusia. Results show that maintenance interventions can be connected to construction work units in the assessment of the three dimensions. Full article

Background: Mitochondrial genomes provide valuable information on evolutionary relationships among organisms and on the selective pressures acting on energy metabolism, increasing their relevance in ecological and environmental genomics studies. Haemulon plumierii is a reef-associated fish distributed throughout the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea and has been proposed as a bioindicator species within the Mesoamerican Reef System. Methods: In this study, we present a high-quality mitochondrial genome of H. plumierii from the southeastern coast of Mexico generated using PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing. Results: The circular mitogenome is 16,823 bp long and contains the complete set of 37 canonical mitochondrial genes, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, two rRNAs, and one control region (D-loop). The gene order, strand orientation, and tRNA secondary structures were consistent with the conserved vertebrate mitochondrial architecture. Comparative analyses with closely related haemulid species revealed conserved nucleotide composition patterns, negative GC skew values, strong AT enrichment within the D-loop, and highly conserved mitochondrial synteny. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on complete mitochondrial genomes placed H. plumierii firmly within the Haemulon clade. Selective pressure analyses revealed pervasive purifying selection acting on mitochondrial protein-coding genes, supported by low dN/dS ratios, high amino acid identity, constrained nucleotide diversity in cytochrome oxidase genes, and conserved codon usage patterns shaped primarily by AT-driven mutational bias. Pairwise genetic distance analyses further supported moderate interspecific divergence within Caribbean Haemulon species. Conclusions: Overall, the mitogenomic resource generated here provides an important evolutionary and functional framework for future phylogenetic, ecological, and environmental genomics studies in Caribbean reef fishes. Full article

This study explores the environmental justice issues associated with landfill compensation policies in Bantargebang, Indonesia. Although compensation programs have been implemented for many years, communities living near landfills continue to experience ongoing environmental damage and significant health concerns. Using a qualitative descriptive method, this research explores systemic barriers through in-depth interviews, observations, and water quality analysis. The findings indicate that labeling the program as “Social Assistance” within the Local Government Information System (SIPD) redefines ecological compensation as a fixed form of charity, rather than as a mechanism for genuine environmental restitution. Laboratory data show severe bacteriological contamination, with Total Coliform levels reaching 95%, forcing residents to bear substantial “hidden costs” for clean water, perpetuating a cycle of financial dependence. The growing normalization of health hazards is evident in over 5000 annual cases of acute respiratory infections, and the deadly landslide in March 2026, in which claimed seven lives and injured six others. These incidents underscore the failure of existing remediation approaches to safeguard human dignity and well-being. To address these shortcomings, this study proposes the adoption of an Integrated Compensation Model based on Green Social Work. This model emphasizes structural investment, spatial risk-based indices using quantitative data, and budget coding adjustments within the SIPD. This approach highlights the urgent need to move beyond temporary charitable assistance and instead pursue meaningful environmental justice, while positioning social workers as “Social-Ecological Brokers” who help restore dignity and well-being in communities often treated as “sacrifice zones.” Full article