Recife-Olinda The Last Frontier: Importance of Estuaries and Mangroves in Urban Environments

Located on the administrative border between the cities of Olinda and Recife, the Beberibe River estuary receives constant anthropic influence and its mangrove is the target of growing real estate speculation. The aim of this manuscript is to analyse the decline of mangroves present the Beberibe estuary margins in resulting (access or restriction) in the period from 1974 to 2014. The analyses are made using Geographic Information Systems to assess pressure and urban expansion. The results indicate that there are 30% of mangroves in the study area and that urban growth caused great losses to the mangrove ecosystem that is visible in the representations in the period 1974 - 2014. In view of the emerging paradigms of urban growth, there are new possibilities for physical connection and conceptual between these two cities based on the convergence between the historically linked population. This discussion took place recently in Recife, concerning the José Estelita Wharf, and is currently being repeated for this last frontier of disorderly urban growth. Keywords: Mangroves; Urban Ecosystems; Estuarine Pollution.

The potential role of the estuarine amphipod Gammarus duebeni in sub-lethal ecotoxicology testing

The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of Gammarus duebeni as an indicator of estuarine pollution. This involved the development of sub-lethal pollution bioassays monitoring respiration rate, swimming efficiency and precopula pairing; assessment of the sensitivity of the assays to copper pollution and comparison of the suitability of the assays. Significant impairment of respiration rate, as measured by changes in pleopod beat, was determined at a copper concentration of 600 μg 1−1. Significant impairment to swimming ability was determined after exposure to copper pollution at a concentration of 600 μg 1−1 and precopula pairing was significantly reduced at a concentration of 600 μg 1−1. Of the assays, swimming efficiency and pleopod beat frequency appear to offer the most potential for further development. The lower limit of sensitivity of the bioassays developed in this study is yet to be determined. However, the levels of copper shown to induce an effect can be experienced in the natural environment. The study has shown thatGammarus duebeni can be used in sub-lethal pollution assays, at relatively high Cu concentrations, and indicates that it is potentially a useful species with which to assess estuarine water and sediment pollution.