Limnological Review 

About: Limnological Review is an academic journal published by De Gruyter Open. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Ecology (disciplines) & Drainage basin. It has an ISSN identifier of 1642-5952. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 244 publications have been published receiving 1255 citations.

Pharmaceutical pollution of aquatic environment: an emerging and enormous challenge

Abstract: The global use of pharmaceuticals is on the systematic rise and leads to contamination of surface waters with xenobiotic compounds with a wide range of bioactivity. Waters that receive urban and medical effluents are particularly threatened. The presence of pharmaceuticals in these ecosystems can lead to unpredictable ecological impacts and responses, and may also have an impact on human health. At the same time the identification and quantification of these chemicals, to a large extent remains a subject to scientific investigation than part of a thorough monitoring programme. Their biological effects on aquatic organisms are mainly recognized experimentally and often using concentrations far exceeding environmentally relevant levels. This review paper defines the main sources of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment, discusses the fate of these compounds and summarizes the current state-of-the-art of pharmaceutical monitoring in Polish surface waters.

Factors affecting the distribution patterns of aquatic macrophytes

Abstract: Abstract Aquatic macrophytes constitute important components of many freshwater ecosystems. The manifold role of aquatic macrophytes in freshwater habitats is closely linked to their distribution, which in turn depends on a myriad of factors. Foremost, among these are light, water temperature, water quality changes and nutrient enrichment, sediment composition and fluctuations in water levels. Light and temperature are of paramount importance in determining the distribution (with depth, season and latitude), thereby influencing productivity and species composition as well. Sediment compositions markedly affect the growth rates of macrophytes which in turn have a profound influence on the distribution of aquatic macrophytes. Water quality changes and nutrient enrichment can cause considerable variations in the species richness, composition, and density of aquatic vegetation. The reduction in water levels could bring drastic changes in the species composition and distribution of macrophytes. Factors associated with competition, herbivory, land use and land cover changes etc. also play an important role in shaping macrophyte distribution and community structure. In this review we examine both biotic and abiotic factors that influence the structural attributes like species composition, distribution, abundance and diversity of aquatic macrophytes.

Transboundary water resources “A comparative study”: The lessons learnt to help solve the Nile basin water conflict

Abstract: Abstract The problematic water situation in Egypt, as one of the River Nile basin countries, has been heightened by the harmful effects of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Egypt’s share of the Nile water. In the light of this Egyptian attention was directed towards a study of worldwide transboundary water problems, in order to find the most effective methods for dealing successfully with water shortage problems in basin countries. The present study focuses on the most successful experiences in the management and development of international river basins worldwide, as well as studying the possibility of implementing these experiences in other basins, especially the River Nile basin. The study showed that overcoming the water scarcity problems in Egypt and increasing the Nile water yield for all the basin countries can be achieved, first of all through serious cooperation among all the basin countries for minimizing the huge water losses from the river (more than 1480 Billion Cubic Metres per year which represents roughly 90% of the whole basin income), and secondly to make use of the most successful technical and political experiences that have been implemented in other international river basins mentioned in the present study.

The effect of glyphosate-based herbicide on aquatic organisms - a case study

Abstract: The non-selective, post-emergence herbicides based on glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine) are one of the most widely used pesticides in agriculture, urban areas and forestry. Although there has been documentation on the physical, chemical and toxicological properties of glyphosate, the aquatic toxicity of such formulations still requires assessment and evaluation. In the present study, we describe deliberate use of glyphosate-based herbicide in a bathing area of Lake Lednica (Wielkopolska, Poland) by unknown perpetrators in April, 2011. Glyphosate was detected using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the water samples collected from the bathing area at a mean concentration of 0.09 mg dm -3 . Aboveground parts of emerged macrophytes (Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia) covering the investigated area were completely withered. Studies of benthic macroinvertebrates revealed no significant differences in taxa number between event (13 taxa) and control (14 taxa) sites although differences in abundance of particular taxa were observed. Significantly lower numbers of Chironomidae (by 41%), Oligochaeta (by 43%), Vivipariae (by 75%), Hirudinae (by 75%), Asellus aquaticus (by 77%), Gammarus pulex (by 38%) and Dreissena polymorpha (by 42%) were found at the glyphosate-treated site. Furthermore, compared to the control, chironomids (Chironomidae) exposed to glyphosate were represented by specimens smaller in length while A. aquaticus only showed large adults. The ranges of glyphosate concentration in the tissues of sampled macroinvertebrates and Phragmites australis organs were 7.3-10.2 μg kg -1 and 16.2-24.7 μg kg -1 , respectively. Our study indicates that glyphosate-based herbicides may have adverse effects on aquatic organisms including macroinvertebrates, thus their use in (or nearby) surface waters should be subject to strict limitation.

Nickel phytoremediation potential of some plant species of the Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract: Nickel is a known hepatotoxic, haemotoxic, pulmonary toxic, nephrotoxic, reproductive toxic, carcinogenic, phytotoxic and neurotoxic agent. The adverse ecological impacts from unnecessary heavy metals include contamination of water and soil which pose serious threats to human health. This study was conducted to screen plants for the phytoremediation of nickel from sixty-one sites of the Lower Dir. Nickel-metal was analyzed in the soil, roots and shoots of plants. The total concentration of nickel in soil, roots and shoots was found to be in the range of 1.03-18.98, 12.63-540.73 and 12.00-295.86 mg kg–1 dry weight basis (DW) respectively. The highest nickel contents were present in the roots of Xanthium strumarium (540.73) and shoots of Bryophyllum daigremontianum (295.86). None of the plant species were identified as hyper accumulators for nickel but based on BCF, TF and BAC values most of the species showed feasibility for its phytoextraction and phytostabilization. Xanthium strumarium, Filago hurdwarica, Ranunculus arvensis, Medicago lupulina, Cannabis sativa, Geranium rotundifolium and Cerastium glomeratum are suggested for the phytostabilization of nickel whereas Bryophyllum daigremontianum, Rosularia adenotricha, Iris germanica, Asplenium dalhousiae and Isatis tinctoria for the phytoextraction of soil contaminated with nickel.