Uranium and thorium are heavy metals, and all of their isotopes are radioactive, so it is impossible to study chemical effects entirely independent of the radiation effects. In the present study, we tried to compare the chemo- and radiotoxicity of both metals, taking into account deterministic radiation damages reflected by acute radiation sickness and stochastic radiation damages leading to long-term health impairments (e.g.,...

In highly fragmented and relatively stable cold-seep ecosystems, species are expected to exhibit high migration rates and long-distance dispersal of long-lived pelagic larvae to maintain genetic integrity over their range. Accordingly, several species inhabiting cold seeps are widely distributed across the whole Atlantic Ocean, with low genetic divergence between metapopulations on both sides of the Atlantic Equatorial Belt (A...

In the case of nuclear incidents, radioiodine may be released. After incorporation, it accumulates in the thyroid and enhances the risk of thyroidal dysfunctions and cancer occurrence by internal irradiation. Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable. Therefore, thyroidal protection by administering a large dose of stable (non-radioactive) iodine, blocking radioiodide uptake into the gland, is essential in these...

Estuaries are the receiving environment for catchment‐derived contaminants, the fate of which depends on the interplay between the estuarine geomorphology and hydrodynamics. In large estuaries, biophysical processes are spatially and temporally‐diverse, which makes understanding and managing the impact of human activities challenging. Here we use two common modelling approaches to explore the advantages and limitations of biop...

Radioactive iodine released in nuclear accidents may accumulate in the thyroid and by irradiation enhances the risk of cancer. Radioiodine uptake into the gland can be inhibited by large doses of stable iodine or perchlorate. Nutritional iodine daily intake may impact thyroid physiology, so that radiological doses absorbed by the thyroid as well as thyroid blocking efficacy may differ in Japanese with a very rich iodine diet c...

Summary Using the 16S rRNA and mcrA genes, we investigated the composition, abundance and activity of sediment archaeal communities within 18 high‐mountain lakes under contrasted metal levels from different origins (bedrock erosion, past‐mining activities and atmospheric depositions). Bathyarchaeota, Euryarchaeota and Woesearchaeota were the major phyla found at the meta‐community scale, representing 48%, 18.3% and 15.2% of th...

Preserving biodiversity is a global challenge requiring data on species’ distribution and abundance over large geographic and temporal scales. However, traditional methods to survey mobile species’ distribution and abundance in marine environments are often inefficient, environmentally destructive, or resource‐intensive. Metabarcoding of environmental DNA ( eDNA ) offers a new means to assess biodiversity and on much larger sc...

Snapper ( Chrysophrys auratus ) is an important coastal fish species in New Zealand for a variety of reasons, but the large amount of research conducted on snapper has not been reviewed. Here, we review life history information and potential threats for snapper in New Zealand. We present information on snapper life history, defining stages (eggs and larvae, juvenile and adult), and assess potential threats and knowledge gaps....

High-Frequency (HF) radars measure the ocean surface currents at various spatial and temporal scales. These include tidal currents, wind-driven circulation, density-driven circulation and Stokes drift. Sequential assimilation methods updating the model state have been proven successful to correct the density-driven currents by assimilation of observations such as sea surface height, sea surface temperature and in-situ profiles...

Insect‐resistant transgenic plants have been suggested to have deleterious effects on beneficial predators through transmission of the transgene product by the pest to the predator. To test this hypothesis, effects of oilseed rape expressing the cysteine protease inhibitor oryzacystatin‐1 (OC‐1) on the predatory ladybird Harmonia axyridis were investigated using diamondback moth Plutella xylostella as the pest species. As expe...