Papers by Fernando Neves Pinto
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2007
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollutants originating from oil spills and wood and fuel co... more Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollutants originating from oil spills and wood and fuel combustion are pollutants which are among the major threats to mangrove ecosystems. In this study, the composition and relative abundance in the sediment bacterial communities of naphthalene dioxygenase ( ndo ) genes which are important for bacterial adaptation to environmental PAH contamination were investigated. Three urban mangrove sites which had characteristic compositions and levels of PAH compounds in the sediments were selected. The diversity and relative abundance of ndo genes in total community DNA were assessed by a newly developed ndo denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approach and by PCR amplification with primers targeting ndo genes with subsequent Southern blot hybridization analyses. Bacterial populations inhabiting sediments of urban mangroves under the impact of different sources of PAH contamination harbor distinct ndo genotypes. Sequencing of cloned ndo ampl...
Environmental Research, 2004
We evaluated the indoor atmospheric Hg contamination in gold trade shops in two Brazilian cities ... more We evaluated the indoor atmospheric Hg contamination in gold trade shops in two Brazilian cities of the Legal Amazon area using the Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides, Bromeliaceae) as a sentinel species. Plants inside plastic cages were exposed to a controlled atmosphere to evaluate the rate of Hg retention over time and then distributed in several stores with different characteristics to enable a relative comparison. Hg concentrations were determined by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Plants exposed in active stores with good air circulation exhibited lower levels. Ex-gold trade shops that were kept closed for long periods exhibited higher values. Stores that have been restored before being transformed into new businesses exhibited lower values than nonrestored ones. Direct measurements suggest that indoor Hg air concentrations were below the threshold limit recommended by the World Health Organization to occupational exposure; nevertheless, restoring ex-gold trade shops could ensure a healthier working environment.
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Ecotoxicology, 2007
Journal of The Brazilian Society of Ecotoxicology, 2007
Spanish moss, the epiphyte bromeliad Tillandsia usneoides (in Brazil, "Barba-de-velho"), has been... more Spanish moss, the epiphyte bromeliad Tillandsia usneoides (in Brazil, "Barba-de-velho"), has been used as biomonitor to evaluate air pollutants. In this article, total Hg concentrations were determined in bromeliads exposed at different areas of a Brazilian chlor-alkali plant while a calibration curve was built under controlled conditions in order to estimate atmospheric Hg concentrations. Hg determinations were performed by atomic absorption spectrometry. In the laboratory, the bromeliad exhibited linear Hg retention (r = 0.99; p < 0.05) when exposed to different Hg concentrations for 15 days under controlled conditions. While Tillandsia usneoides allows simultaneous and continuous monitoring of several workplaces inside a factory, identifying critical areas where workers can be overexposed, we conclude that bromeliad biomonitoring does not appear to be a trustworthy procedure to estimate Hg concentration in the air. However, this just can be a useful method for identifying and monitoring critical sites in continuous occupational and environmental control risk programs.
FEMS microbiology ecology, 2008
Municipal sewage, urban runoff and accidental oil spills are common sources of pollutants in urba... more Municipal sewage, urban runoff and accidental oil spills are common sources of pollutants in urban mangrove forests and may have drastic effects on the microbial communities inhabiting the sediment. However, studies on microbial communities in the sediment of urban mangroves are largely lacking. In this study, we explored the diversity of bacterial communities in the sediment of three urban mangroves located in Guanabara Bay (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Analysis of sediment samples by means of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA gene fragments suggested that the overall bacterial diversity was not significantly affected by the different levels of hydrocarbon pollution at each sampling site. However, DGGE and sequence analyses provided evidences that each mangrove sediment displayed a specific structure bacterial community. Although primer sets for Pseudomonas, alphaproteobacterial and actinobacterial groups also amplified ribotypes belonging to taxa not intended to be enriched, sequence analyses of dominant DGGE bands revealed ribotypes related to Alteromonadales, Burkholderiales, Pseudomonadales, Rhodobacterales and Rhodocyclales. Members of these groups were often shown to be involved in aerobic or anaerobic degradation of hydrocarbon pollutants. Many of these sequences were only detected in the sampling sites with high levels of anthropogenic inputs of hydrocarbons. Many dominant DGGE ribotypes showed low levels of sequence identity to known sequences, indicating a large untapped bacterial diversity in mangrove ecosystems.
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Papers by Fernando Neves Pinto