Tag Archives: plants

Aquatic plant reduces antibiotics in water and genetic damage in fish, but risks remain

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A new study from researchers at the University of São Paulo has shed light on a growing environmental concern: the presence of antibiotic residues in freshwater systems, and their impact on aquatic life and potentially human health.

The research, conducted in Brazil’s Piracicaba River basin, found traces of multiple commonly used antibiotics in water, sediments, and fish. Scientists also explored whether a floating aquatic plant, Salvinia auriculata, could help reduce this contamination. The findings suggest it can—but not without complications.

Pollution Builds Up in Dry Seasons

The team, led by Patrícia Alexandre Evangelista, monitored samples from a region near the Santa Maria da Serra dam, where pollutants from across the river basin tend to accumulate. The area receives runoff from urban sewage, agriculture, aquaculture, and livestock farming.

Twelve antibiotics, including tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, and phenols, were tracked across both rainy and dry seasons. A clear pattern emerged: during the rainy season, most antibiotics were barely detectable, likely diluted by higher water volumes. In the dry season, however, concentrations rose significantly as water levels dropped and pollutants became more concentrated.

Sediments, rich in organic matter and minerals, acted as reservoirs for these compounds, storing them and potentially releasing them back into the environment over time.

Contaminated Fish Raise Health Concerns

One of the study’s most striking findings was the detection of chloramphenicol, a banned veterinary antibiotic, in lambari fish collected from local fishermen. The substance appeared only during the dry season, but at levels significant enough to raise concern.

Because this species is widely consumed in the region, researchers flagged a possible route of human exposure through food.

A Plant-Based Solution, With Limits

The study also tested whether Salvinia auriculata, a fast-growing floating plant often considered a nuisance, could help remove antibiotics from contaminated water.

In controlled experiments, the plant proved highly effective at absorbing enrofloxacin, eliminating more than 95% of it within days under certain conditions. Its performance was less impressive with chloramphenicol, removing only 30% to 45%, and over a longer period.

The antibiotics were found to accumulate mainly in the plant’s roots, suggesting that filtration and absorption at the root level play a key role.

A Complex Ecological Trade-Off

However, the picture is not straightforward. Even when the plant reduced antibiotic levels in the water, fish did not always benefit. In some cases, absorption rates in fish actually increased, possibly because the plant altered the chemical form of the antibiotics, making them easier for organisms to absorb.

Chloramphenicol, in particular, showed a strong tendency to persist in fish tissue, with a half-life exceeding 90 days. Enrofloxacin, by contrast, was eliminated more quickly and showed lower accumulation.

The study also examined genetic damage in fish. Chloramphenicol exposure led to increased DNA damage, but this effect was reduced when the plant was present, suggesting a possible protective role. No similar benefit was observed for enrofloxacin.

Not a Silver Bullet

Researchers caution against viewing Salvinia auriculata as a simple fix. While it can reduce antibiotic levels, it may also change how these substances behave in the ecosystem. There are additional concerns about how to safely dispose of contaminated plant biomass, which could otherwise reintroduce pollutants.

Still, the findings point to the potential of low-cost, nature-based solutions in regions where advanced water treatment technologies are not feasible.

Bigger Picture: A Growing Environmental Threat

The presence of antibiotics in rivers is more than just a local issue. It contributes to the broader global challenge of antimicrobial resistance, raising the risk of so-called “superbugs” emerging in natural environments.

As co-author Valdemar Luiz Tornisielo noted, the study underscores both the scale of human impact on ecosystems and the need for integrated solutions that consider not just pollutant removal, but long-term ecological effects.

In essence, the research reveals a problem that is measurable and widespread—and solutions that are promising, but far from simple.

Also Read:

‘Plenty of fish in the sea’? Not anymore, say UN experts in Nice

Seals Can Serve As ‘Smart Sensors’ to Know Fish Populations in Ocean’s Twilight Zone: Study

How moss led to the solving a grave-robbing mystery

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In 2009, a cemetery, located directly outside of Chicago, revealed a scandal. The employees at the Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois had been accused of digging up aged graves, shifting the remains to other places within the cemetery and selling the burial plots back. One such piece of evidence was a small knot of moss when the case went to trial in 2015.

Researchers have published the original full scientific account of the case in a new article in the journal Forensic Sciences Research where it is described how exactly moss was used to find that a crime had been committed.

The lead author of the paper, Matt von Konrat, the head of the botany collections at the Field Museum in Chicago, is a follower of detective programs on television (the new paper is called Silent Witness on the BBC), but he never thought that his work would bring him into a criminal case scenario. Around 2009, von Konrat received a call on the phone, which happened to be the FBI, inquiring whether she could assist in identifying a few plants, says von Konrat. The FBI appeared at the Field Museum and gave von Konrat a piece of moss which was discovered eight inches under the earth, and the recovered human remains at the cemetery.

What sort of moss it was, and how long it had been lying in the soil, they wanted to know.

First, von Konrat and his associates had looked at the moss under a microscope and compared it with dried moss specimens in museum collections to conclude that it was taxifolius Fissidens, which is also referred to as a common pocket moss. According to von Konrat, they conducted a survey of the various types of mosses found in different locations around the site of the crime and that type of moss was not present in the area. However, examining the remainder of the cemetery we discovered a large colony of that form of moss growing in the same spot where the investigator thought that the bones had been disturbed.

The investigators did not only require the species of the moss, however, they were also concerned about its age. The defendants to the case argued that someone must have exhumed the bones and reburied them at a later time prior to the defendants commencing working in the cemetery. As the moss was buried with the re-buried bones, the length of time that the moss had been under the ground would be used to help prove the date that the bones were reburied.

“Moss,” says von Konrat, “is a bit of a freak. Mosses are intriguingly physiologically regulated so that although they may be dry and lifeless and preserved, still they may have an active metabolism and some active cells. The level of metabolic activity decays with time, and that would inform us about when a moss sample was harvested.”

The metabolic activity of a plant may be determined by its chlorophyll – the green color that is used to photosynthesize the food. The chlorophyll in the cells of plants deteriorates as they die and more of the cells of plants lose the ability to perform their functions. The authors of the research determined the quantity of the light captured by chlorophyll of the moss specimens in known ages, including fresh and those that have been stashed in the museum collections over the past 14 years. Then they repeated the same test on the moss that was picked at the crime scene. The researchers concluded that the evidence moss was no more than a year or two old- which helped the case against the cemetery employees who in 2015 were finally found guilty of desecrating human remains.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr_Oak_Cemetery

“Occasionally, there are also cases when the FBI only has to summon experts to assist in the gathering of evidence, conduct analyses, submit the evidence to the prosecutors and testify to their efforts should a conviction be required. Burr Oak Cemetery case was one of those cases when we approached the Chicago Field Museum Botanical Program, which happened to be of invaluable help since plant material within the cemetery provided the key to charge four individuals and convict them,” says Doug Seccombe, a former FBI agent and worked on the case, as well as, a co-author of the new paper.

Von Konrat has been consulted after the Burr Oak Cemetery case on a number of moss cases. However, these cases are quite few in the field of forensic science: in 2025, he and some of his co-authors released another article, looking into the application of mosses and other bryophyte plants as forensic evidence. It was only within the last century that they had discovered a dozen-odd examples.

“Mosses are usually underrated and that is how we hope our research will help to create awareness that there are other groups of plants out there other than flowering plants and they play a very crucial role in society and around us. However, most to the point, we wish to mention this microscopic group of plants as a law enforcement tool. Should we find the means of raising mosses as possible evidence, perhaps this might prove of service to some families in the future.”

How songbirds’ striking, unique colors put them at risk [Details]

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Bright, uniquely colored songbirds are at higher risk of extinction and more likely to be traded as pets, according to researchers reporting in Current Biology on September 15. The researchers also predict that almost 500 additional bird species, most of them living in the tropics, are at risk of future trade based on their unique and desirable coloration.

“Aesthetic value is an important part of how people value nature,” said Rebecca Senior (@RebeccaASenior) of Durham University, U.K. “However, there is potential for conflict when what motivates some people to protect certain species is the same thing that makes other people want to own them. Songbirds are highly sought after in the pet trade, particularly for their beautiful songs. However, songbirds can also be remarkably colorful—a highly desirable trait in other commonly traded species, such as parrots.”

In their new study, Senior and colleagues including Brett Scheffers (@BrettScheffers) of University of Florida, Gainesville explored the antagonistic roles of aesthetic value in biodiversity conservation. They used novel metrics of color to evaluate the aesthetics of groups of birds, across the world and the avian tree of life.

Common hill myna (Gracula-religiosa); Least Concern; color uniqueness score of 66.9/Rick Stanley and Gabby Salazar

Their analysis shows that the tropics are the epicenter of bird color, with 91% and 65% of the world’s most diverse and uniquely colored assemblages of songbirds, respectively. They report that the pet trade, which affects 30% of all bird species, targets clusters of related and uniquely colored birds. They went on to identify 478 species of birds that may be at risk of future trade based on their appealing colors.

“We were surprised to see the strength of the latitudinal gradient in color; even when you account for the greater number of species in the tropics, the diversity of color in the tropics dwarfs all other regions,” Senior said.

While one might expect brilliant blues, oranges, and yellows to put species at risk, the researchers were also surprised to discover that pure white is a unique color found in many sought-after species, such as the endangered Bali myna. The findings overall highlight that the same color features that make some people willing to travel around the world for a mere glimpse of a bird through binoculars also potentially puts them at risk for pet trading. The findings have important implications for conservation.

Kuno national park

“Understanding what motivates trade is essential to identify at-risk species potentially requiring more proactive protection from trapping,” Senior said. “Trade has the capacity to be regulated and managed sustainably with a better understanding of what is traded as well as where and why trade occurs. Loss of colorful species also directly erodes aesthetic value, which is problematic because, for better or worse, it is this value that often fundamentally motivates and funds conservation efforts.”

In future studies, they hope to disentangle even more factors that play into regional variation in patterns of trade among birds. They’d also like to explore the role of color in the trade of other groups of animals and plants.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change organises National Conference on Sustainable Coastal Management

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Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the first National Conference on Sustainable Coastal Management in India in Bhubaneswar today.

This conference is being organized by the Green Climate Fund supported project – Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities.

The objective of the conference is to bring officials from all 13 coastal states of India under one roof to focus on the three interrelated themes :

  1. Coastal and marine biodiversity,
  2. Climate mitigation and adaptation and
  3. Coastal pollution.

This endeavour is aimed at creating a vibrant network of stakeholders who will continue to engage with each other on the topics but also on cross-cutting themes such as coastal governance, technologies and innovation as well as domestic and international finance.

“The Indian coastline is of immense strategic, economic and social importance to the country.

  • Indian coastline spans 7,500 kilometres, seventh longest in the world,
  • home to 20 percent of the country’s population,
  • Three of our four metropolitan cities lie on the coast,
  • supports more than 17,000 species of plants and animals.

There is a great diversity of ecosystems within our coastal regions that support more than 17,000 species of plants and animals.  With the changing climate, we need to build the resilience of communities living in coastal areas.” said Shri Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Sustainable Coastal Management in India

“This conference comes at an important time as India has submitted its revised NDCs and seeks to create multi-sectoral partnerships to meet these targets” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, said: “Such conferences are important to bring the conversations of resilience and sustainability to our country’s coastal areas.  This was also envisioned in the Honourable Prime Minister’s LiFE movement.”

Sustainable Coastal Management in India

Sustainable coastal management is recognised as need of the hour. Data-driven policies and management frameworks, participatory conservation models, and convergence between stakeholders are the key pillars for effective coastal management.

A programme on Enhancing Climate Resilience of Coastal Communities is being implemented in partnership with UNDP in the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the initiative is integrating ecosystem and community-based approaches to adaptation into coastal management and planning.