Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Rajendra Bhandari, Joyanto Routh, Subodh Sharma, Rajendra Joshi
Summary: The research indicates significant differences in lipid distribution, sources, composition, and seasonality between small mountain rivers (SMRs) and large mountain rivers (LMRs) in Nepal.
GEOSCIENCE FRONTIERS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Timothy Eglinton, Valier V. Galy, Jordon D. Hemingway, Xiaojuan Feng, Hongyan Bao, Thomas M. Blattmann, Angela F. Dickens, Hannah Gies, Liviu Giosan, Negar Haghipour, Pengfei Hou, Maarten Lupker, Cameron P. McIntyre, Daniel B. Montlucon, Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Camilo Ponton, Enno Schefuss, Melissa S. Schwab, Britta M. Voss, Lukas Wacker, Ying Wu, Meixun Zhao
Summary: Terrestrial vegetation and soils hold significantly more carbon than the atmosphere. Human activities impacting these reserves may exacerbate climate change uncertainties, particularly in extrapolating point-source observations to ecosystem-scale budgets. The turnover of organic carbon in river basins is influenced by mean annual temperature and precipitation, with implications for soil organic carbon vulnerability on a global scale. The scaling of riverine biospheric-carbon ages with soil OC turnover reveals the potential for constraints on carbon dynamics across broad spatial scales.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shuqin Tao, James T. Liu, Aijun Wang, Thomas M. Blattmann, Rick J. Yang, Jay Lee, Jimmy J. Xu, Li Li, Xiang Ye, Xijie Yin, Liang Wang
Summary: The distribution of sedimentary organic matter in the Taiwan Strait is influenced by multiple factors including ocean currents, river plumes, and upwellings. Sand and clay particles are the major carriers of organic matter signals in this region. Terrestrial biomarkers and primary production are associated with ocean currents and river plumes, while marine biomarkers are associated with upwellings. These physical systems not only impact the distribution of biomarkers, but also contribute to the diversity of organic matter in the Taiwan Strait.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qiqi Gao, Lixiao Ma, Yunying Fang, Aiping Zhang, Guichun Li, Junjian Wang, Di Wu, Wenliang Wu, Zhangliu Du
Summary: Conservation tillage practices, particularly rotary tillage, altered the molecular compositions and degradation processes of soil organic matter (SOM), resulting in increased accumulation of plant-derived lipids and lignin in the topsoil layers and suppressed lignin degradation.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Livia Urbanski, Karsten Kalbitz, Janet Rethemeyer, Peter Schad, Ingrid Koegel-Knabner
Summary: This study focuses on the high organic carbon accumulation in sandy agricultural soils, specifically Plaggic Anthrosols, and finds that these soils have similar levels of OC concentration, radiocarbon ages, and organic matter composition compared to reference soils. It also reveals that a significant portion of soil OC is contained within the <=20 μm fraction, despite its low mass proportion. These findings indicate the presence of specific processes for organic matter accumulation in sandy agricultural soils.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Laura Castaneda-Gomez, Kate Lajtha, Richard Bowden, Fathima Nahidha Mohammed Jauhar, Juan Jia, Xiaojuan Feng, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: Forest ecosystems as global soil carbon reservoirs are affected by climate change factors that change carbon inputs. This study integrated molecular composition data sets of soil organic matter and microbial communities to investigate the effects of detrital input and removal treatments on forest soil carbon dynamics. The results showed that long-term litter additions did not increase soil carbon content, while litter reductions negatively impacted soil carbon concentrations. This highlights the sensitivity of soil carbon biogeochemistry to changes in litter deposition.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Huan Tong, Mehran Behazin, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: Bentonite clay is suggested as a buffer layer for Canada's geologic repository for long-term storage of nuclear fuels. The presence of natural organic matter (NOM) in bentonite may contribute to container corrosion. Molecular-level techniques were used to analyze bentonite composition under different heat and radiation conditions, and it was found that heat and radiation had minimal effects on overall NOM chemistry. Further research is needed to investigate longer exposure durations and overall stability of NOM in a deep geologic repository setting.
APPLIED CLAY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katherine L. Steeves, Meera J. Bissram, Sonya Kleywegt, Douglas Stevens, Frank L. Dorman, Andre J. Simpson, Myrna J. Simpson, Lindsay S. Cahill, Karl J. Jobst
Summary: This study discovered the presence of fluorotelomer ethoxylates (FTEO) in indoor dust and industrial effluent, indicating their potential as widespread and persistent pollutants.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lisa M. Labine, Erico Oliveira A. Pereira, Sonya Kleywegt, Karl J. Jobst, Andre J. Simpson, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: The study investigates the metabolic perturbations of PFAS on Daphnia, highlighting that different PFAS chain lengths and polar functional groups can induce unique metabolic responses while also sharing a common underlying toxic mode of action.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: Soil pollution has had a global impact on ecosystem health, leading to a reduction in critical services provided by soil ecosystems. Environmental metabolomics has provided valuable insights into the effects of pollutants on soil-dwelling organisms, particularly earthworms. Recent studies have also explored the complex relationships between plants-microbes and earthworms-microbes, and how these relationships are altered by pollutant exposure in soil. Overall, these studies highlight the negative ecological cascade and decline in soil organism health caused by pollution.
CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Erico A. Oliveira Pereira, Lisa M. Labine, Sonya Kleywegt, Karl J. Jobst, Andre J. Simpson, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: Phthalic acid esters (PAEs), commonly used as additives in plastics, can leach into the environment and cause various harmful effects on aquatic organisms. This study examined the impact of four phthalate pollutants on Daphnia magna using targeted metabolomic approach. Results showed unique metabolic profiles for each phthalate pollutant and disruption of amino acid and energy metabolism pathways. These findings suggest a common toxic mechanism of action for phthalate pollutants and emphasize the importance of targeted metabolomic approaches in understanding sub-lethal exposure to pollutants.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kiera Ronda, Katelyn Downey, Amy Jenne, Monica Bastawrous, William W. Wolff, Katrina Steiner, Daniel H. Lysak, Peter M. Costa, Myrna J. Simpson, Karl J. Jobst, Andre J. Simpson
Summary: Environmental metabolomics sheds light on the impact of human activities on organism health at the molecular level. This paper focuses on the use of in vivo NMR as a powerful tool for monitoring real-time changes in the metabolome of organisms. It also investigates the applicability of proton-only experiments on non-enriched samples, specifically using Daphnia as a model organism.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Iuliana Stoica, Maryam Tabatabaei Anaraki, Thomas Muratore, Melissa Knorr, Serita D. Frey, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: By analyzing soil samples from the Harvard Forest Soil Warming and Nitrogen Addition experiment, this study found that increasing global temperatures and atmospheric nitrogen deposition threaten carbon storage in forest soils. The study emphasizes the importance of observing environmental stressors using molecular-level approaches to understand how anthropogenic activity will alter forest soil systems.
ACS EARTH AND SPACE CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessica C. D'eon, Brian P. Lankadurai, Andre J. Simpson, Eric J. Reiner, David G. Poirier, Greg C. Vanlerberghe, Myrna J. Simpson
Summary: Environmental metabolomics is an effective method for studying pollutant impacts on target organisms. Both NMR and MS-based methods are used for amino acid profiling in environmental metabolomic studies. In this study, we compared the quantification of amino acids in different model organisms using both H-1 NMR and LC-MS/MS methods. The results showed that both NMR and LC-MS/MS measurements were reliable for amino acid profiling, demonstrating the compatibility of these two analytical platforms in environmental metabolomics.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Istvan Fekete, Ornella Francioso, Myrna J. Simpson, Paola Gioacchini, Daniela Montecchio, Imre Berki, Norbert Moricz, Katalin Juhos, Aron Beni, Zsolt Kotroczo
Summary: Climate models predict warming and drying of Hungarian forests, raising concerns about their carbon storage capacity. To assess future changes, precipitation gradient studies were conducted on oak forests in Central Europe, investigating the quality parameters of soil organic matter (SOM). The results showed lower soil organic carbon (SOC) in humid forests due to increased decomposition and leaching of Ca, but the decrease in easily degradable SOM compounds. In dry forests, the amount of recalcitrant SOM increased, but so did the easily degradable SOM. Overall, SOC may increase in drier forests, partially offsetting the decrease in biomass.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Katherine C. Dibbon, Grace Mercer, Alexandre S. Maekawa, Jenna Hanrahan, Katherine L. Steeves, Lauren C. M. Ringer, Andre J. Simpson, Myrna J. Simpson, Ahmet A. Baschat, John C. Kingdom, Christopher K. Macgowan, John G. Sled, Karl J. Jobst, Lindsay S. Cahill
Summary: Maternal exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics during mouse pregnancy has been found to result in fetal growth restriction and placental dysfunction, with the effects being more pronounced in the group exposed to nanoplastics. This suggests that nanoplastic exposure during human pregnancy has the potential to disrupt fetal brain development and lead to suboptimal neurodevelopmental outcomes.
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
L. M. Labine, E. A. Oliveira Pereira, S. Kleywegt, K. J. Jobst, A. J. Simpson, M. J. Simpson
Summary: Anthropogenic activities contribute to pollution in freshwater bodies worldwide, with wastewater treatment and industrial effluents containing complex mixtures of organic and inorganic pollutants. The molecular-level perturbations to the metabolic profile of Daphnia magna exposed to these effluents were examined in this study. The results showed significant metabolic changes, indicating oxidative stress, disruptions to energy metabolism, and protein dysregulation, highlighting the importance of metabolomics in assessing the interactions of industrial effluents.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Katelyn Downey, Wolfgang Bermel, Ronald Soong, Daniel H. Lysak, Kiera Ronda, Katrina Steiner, Peter M. Costa, William W. Wolff, Venita Decker, Falko Busse, Benjamin Goerling, Agnes Haber, Myrna J. Simpson, Andre J. Simpson
Summary: Understanding environmental change requires molecular-level tools. This study investigates innovative experiments to improve low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of environmental and biological samples. Spectral simplification, selective detection, and heteronuclear NMR experiments were tested, and a novel selectively detected HSQC experiment was introduced. The results demonstrate the potential of low-field NMR in biological and environmental research, and its adaptability to various research needs.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Grace V. Mercer, Nikita E. Harvey, Katherine L. Steeves, Celine M. Schneider, John G. Sled, Christopher K. Macgowan, Ahmet A. Baschat, John C. Kingdom, Andre J. Simpson, Myrna J. Simpson, Karl J. Jobst, Lindsay S. Cahill
Summary: Exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics during pregnancy caused abnormal fetal brain metabolism in mice, including decreased concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid, creatine, and glucose. The change in relative concentration of asparagine was dependent on fetal sex.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Zahra Aghaei, Grace Mercer, Celine M. Schneider, John G. Sled, Christopher K. Macgowan, Ahmet A. Baschat, John C. Kingdom, Paul A. Helm, Andre J. Simpson, Myrna J. Simpson, Karl J. Jobst, Lindsay S. Cahill
Summary: Maternal exposure to microplastics significantly alters placental metabolism, potentially impacting pregnancy outcomes. Efforts should be made to minimize exposure to plastics, particularly during pregnancy.
