Phenotypically similar species coexisting in extreme environments like sulfidic water are subject to two opposing eco-evolutionary processes: those favoring similarity of environment-specific traits, and those promoting differences of traits related to resource use. The former group of processes includes ecological filtering and convergent or parallel evolution, the latter competitive exclusion...

The boxfish (Lactoria cornuta) has a carapace consisting of dermal scutes with a highly mineralized surface plate and a compliant collagen base. This carapace must provide effective protection against predators as it comes at the high cost of reduced mobility and speed. The mineralized hydroxyapatite plates, predominantly hexagonal in shape, are reinforced with raised struts that extend from th...

Microbial iron (Fe) reduction by naturally abundant minerals has been observed in many anoxic aquatic sediments the sulfidic and methanic zones, deeper than it is expected based on its energetic yield. However, potential consequence of this “deep” microbial elemental cycles still unclear where diffusion dominant transport process. In contribution, we experimentally quantify impact oxides sulfat...

Formation constants for thioarsenite species have been determined in dilute solutions at 25 uC, SH2S from 10 to 10 M, SAs from 10 to 10 M, and pH 7 and 10. The principal inorganic arsenic species in anoxic aquatic systems are arsenite, As(OH)3 , and a mononuclear thioarsenite with an S/As ratio of 3 : 1. Thioarsenic species with S/As ratios of 1 : 1, 2 : 1, and 4 : 1 are lesser components in su...

Bee keeping is indispensable to global food production. It is an alternate income source, especially in rural underdeveloped African settlements, and an important forest conservation incentive. However, dwindling honeybee colonies around the world are attributed to pests and diseases whose spatial distribution and influences are not well established. In this study, we used remotely sensed data ...

Under nitrogen-limiting, secondary metabolic conditions, the white rot basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium extensively mineralized the specifically 14C-ring-labeled azo dyes 4-phenylazophenol, 4-phenylazo-2-methoxyphenol, Disperse Yellow 3 [2-(4'-acetamidophenylazo)-4-methylphenol], 4-phenylazoaniline, N,N-dimethyl-4-phenylazoaniline, Disperse Orange 3 [4-(4'-nitrophenylazo)-aniline], and...

Nuclear proton microprobe and histomorphometry were employed to study arsenic and fluoride distribution and effects on the mineralized tissues (teeth and bone) of rats. The results revealed that 1) fluoride (100 mg/L for 10 weeks) caused typical dental and skeletal fluorosis in rats, similar to those seen in humans; 2) no obvious effects of arsenic (30 mg/L for 10 weeks) on the mineralized tiss...