The presented work is part of a larger research program dealing with developing tools for coupling biogeochemical models in contaminated landscapes. The specific objective of this article is to provide researchers with a data porting tool to build hexagonal raster using information from a rectangular raster data (e.g. GIS format). This tool involves a computational algorithm and an open source software (written in C). The method of extending the

The involvement of Ca2+ in the response to high Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, and Hg2+ was investigated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The yeast cells responded through a sharp increase in cytosolic Ca2+ when exposed to Cd2+, and to a lesser extent to Cu2+, but not to Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, or Hg2+. The response to high Cd2+ depended mainly on external Ca2+ (transported through the Cch1p/Mid1p channel) but also on vacuolar Ca2+ (released into

We performed an experiment at pot scale to assess the effect of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) on the development of five plant species grown on a tailing dam substrate. None of the species even germinated on inoculated unamended tailing material, prompting use of compost amendment. The effect of inoculation on the amended material was to increase soil respiration, and promote elements immobilisation at plant root surface. This was associated

Applied research programs in the remediation of contaminated areas can be used also for gaining insights in the physiological and ecological mechanisms supporting the resistance of plant communities in stress conditions due to toxic elements. The research hypothesis of this study was that in the heavily contaminated but nutrient-poor substrate of mine tailing dams, the beneficial effect of inoculation with arbuscular mychorrizal fungi (AMF) is due

In this chapter, we introduce a concept relating the biogeochemical role of microorganisms explicitly to cross-scale effects in the frame of an approach we termed objective scale integrated biogeochemistry. By objective, we mean that the scale of analyses is that of the environmental objects involved in the cycling and is not assumed a priori based on human (institutional) interests. By integrated, we refer to the consideration of multielement fluxes

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are integral functioning parts of plant root systems and are widely recognized for enhancing plant growth on severely disturbed sites, including those contaminated with heavy metals. However, the generality of detailed patterns observed for their influence on various metals and oxidative-stress parameters in multiple plant species is not clarified. The goal of this study was to investigate the patterns of metal-stress

Trei poziţii de asistent de cercetare studii superioare din statul de funcțiuni al centrului CESEC, Universitatea din București: Asistent de cercetare studii superioare în domeniul modelării statistice a metalelor în bazine contaminate, poziţia 26 Poziția este de jumătate de normă și se adresează unui masterand în domeniul ecologiei și protecției mediului. Cercetarea presupune activităţi de teren pentru prelevare de probe și determinare

After reviewing the limits of the current approaches, we introduce an analytical framework for up-scaling analyses of ecological processes. The framework attempts to produce a conceptual unification and lead to a ten step approach for up-scaling from a source to a target scale. The literature on ectomycorrhizal fungi is then screened following each up-scaling step. We conclude that one needs to construct four hierarchical levels in order to understand

As environmental issues become more and more stringent, the biotechnological approaches to maintain clean environments are receiving increasing attention. Heavy metal pollution is of great concern as it ultimately forces heavy metals into the food chain leading to serious ecological and health problems. Removal of excess heavy metals from contaminated sites could be achieved by means of organisms that bioaccumulate heavy metals without developing

The concept of hazard in the current interpretation of the European and national regulations is directed to local and short term effects and its assessment is based on the distribution in space of the concentration of contaminants in abiotic and biotic compartments. We expand this concept and address its limitations by describing potential hazard with full space-time dimension, i.e. from short term to long term, and from local to regional. This most