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Prof. Daniela Baldantoni
University of Salerno

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0 biomonitoring
0 pollutant
0 soil microbial communities
0 Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

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Journal article
Published: 12 July 2021 in Sustainability
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With a view of shedding light on the accumulation capability of the epigeous organs of common reed (Phragmites australis), employed worldwide in metal biomonitoring, an accumulation study of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn was performed, focusing on leaves belonging to different whorls and culms. To this end, in five sampling sites on the littoral zone of the volcanic Lake Averno (Italy), and in one occasion (autumn) before plant senescence, leaves of different ages and culms were collected and analyzed for metal concentrations. In terms of the suitability for biomonitoring, culms demonstrated poor performances in relation to the low metal accumulation and the difficulties in sampling and processing, whereas leaves proved their effectiveness in highlighting whole plant exposure. Since the accumulation degree of Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn is unaffected by leaf age, the pooling of leaves from different whorls is advisable to improve the representativeness of samplings. This strategy becomes mandatory in the case of Ni, the non-monotonic age-dependent variations of which would affect the derivation of contamination gradients otherwise. For Mn, Cd and Pb, the accumulation patterns strictly dependent on age can instead be exploited in selecting the sensitivity of biomonitoring by focusing on the organs where they are preferentially accumulated: old leaves for Mn and young leaves for Cd and Pb.

ACS Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Alessandro Bellino. On the Capability of the Epigeous Organs of Phragmites australis to Act as Metal Accumulators in Biomonitoring Studies. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7745 .

AMA Style

Daniela Baldantoni, Alessandro Bellino. On the Capability of the Epigeous Organs of Phragmites australis to Act as Metal Accumulators in Biomonitoring Studies. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (14):7745.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Alessandro Bellino. 2021. "On the Capability of the Epigeous Organs of Phragmites australis to Act as Metal Accumulators in Biomonitoring Studies." Sustainability 13, no. 14: 7745.

Journal article
Published: 22 December 2020 in Sustainability
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Conventional fertilization practices in agroecosystems concern the supply of bioavailable nutrients, such as mineral fertilizers. A consolidated alternative to restoring the long-term fertility of agricultural soils is their amendment with organic fertilizers. Soil amendment with biowaste compost or sewage sludge represents a sustainable strategy to avoid the landfilling of organic matter derived from urban waste and sewage sludge. This study aims at validating the use of quality biowaste compost and sewage sludge from secondary sedimentation (alone or in combination with mineral fertilizers) in a Mediterranean agroecosystem and their effects on soil chemical and biological quality, with a view to verifying the maintenance of soil fertility and functionality. In particular, the dynamics of soil organic matter, pH, potentially toxic elements and microbial community functionality were assessed, in experimental mesocosms, during 6 months of incubation. The research showed that, while soil amendment with biowaste compost induces positive effects on soil organic matter and phosphorous concentrations, as well as on microbial community functionality, the amendment with the selected sewage sludge does not determine any benefit to the microbial community or any danger in relation to soil potentially toxic element concentrations and toxicity. The quantity of sewage sludge employed, chosen according to regional directives, was thus not enough to stimulate the edaphic microflora activity.

ACS Style

Enrica Picariello; Luca Pucci; Maurizio Carotenuto; Giovanni Libralato; Giusy Lofrano; Daniela Baldantoni. Compost and Sewage Sludge for the Improvement of Soil Chemical and Biological Quality of Mediterranean Agroecosystems. Sustainability 2020, 13, 26 .

AMA Style

Enrica Picariello, Luca Pucci, Maurizio Carotenuto, Giovanni Libralato, Giusy Lofrano, Daniela Baldantoni. Compost and Sewage Sludge for the Improvement of Soil Chemical and Biological Quality of Mediterranean Agroecosystems. Sustainability. 2020; 13 (1):26.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Enrica Picariello; Luca Pucci; Maurizio Carotenuto; Giovanni Libralato; Giusy Lofrano; Daniela Baldantoni. 2020. "Compost and Sewage Sludge for the Improvement of Soil Chemical and Biological Quality of Mediterranean Agroecosystems." Sustainability 13, no. 1: 26.

Journal article
Published: 30 July 2020 in Ecological Indicators
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At the core of the adaptive ecosystem management paradigm, environmental monitoring, especially using biomonitors, mandates the search for tools and approaches to overcome its current limitations, both in terms of novel species and analytical techniques to extract information from the data. In this context, a large field biomonitoring study was performed in order to validate a candidate active biomonitor, the macrophytic alga Chara gymnophylla, using a long-established biomonitor (the aquatic moss Fontinalis antipyretica) as reference, innovative spatial analysis approaches and the area of two of the main freshwater ecosystems of the “Cilento Vallo di Diano e Alburni” National Park as experimental setting. Specifically, the concentrations of 19 potentially toxic elements (Al, As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Si, V, Zn) in 3 alga and 3 moss bags placed in each of 41 sites along the Bussento and Calore Salernitano rivers were analyzed. The coherence of element gradients between biomonitors, the spatial heterogeneity in element distribution and their spatial scales were evaluated using robust multivariate approaches, random models and spectral decomposition of the spatial gradients. Results demonstrate the substantial uniformity in responses between the biomonitors, both showing similar element spatial distributions, within and between-site variability, the same spatial connectivity and spatial variations at similar scales. On the one hand, the approach adopted and the findings obtained allow definitely validating Ch. gymnophylla as a novel active biomonitor of potentially toxic elements in freshwater ecosystems and, on the other hand, deriving clear contamination scenarios, with indication of the alleged sources.

ACS Style

Alessandro Bellino; Anna Alfani; Laura De Riso; Romano Gregorio; Tommaso Pellegrino; Daniela Baldantoni. Long-established and new active biomonitors jointly reveal potentially toxic element gradients across spatial scales in freshwater ecosystems. Ecological Indicators 2020, 118, 106742 .

AMA Style

Alessandro Bellino, Anna Alfani, Laura De Riso, Romano Gregorio, Tommaso Pellegrino, Daniela Baldantoni. Long-established and new active biomonitors jointly reveal potentially toxic element gradients across spatial scales in freshwater ecosystems. Ecological Indicators. 2020; 118 ():106742.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandro Bellino; Anna Alfani; Laura De Riso; Romano Gregorio; Tommaso Pellegrino; Daniela Baldantoni. 2020. "Long-established and new active biomonitors jointly reveal potentially toxic element gradients across spatial scales in freshwater ecosystems." Ecological Indicators 118, no. : 106742.

Journal article
Published: 14 March 2020 in Environmental Pollution
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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hazardous organic compounds with mutagenic, genotoxic and carcinogenic properties. Although PAHs in soil can cause toxicity to microorganisms, the microbial community is able to degrade these compounds. For this reason, it is important to study acute and short-term effects of PAH contamination on soil microbial community, also to shed light on its possible exploitation in soil restoration. The effects of acute PAH contamination on the structure and metabolic activity of microbial communities in three forest (beech, holm oak, black pine) soils were studied. The soils were spiked with phenanthrene, pyrene or benzo[a]pyrene and incubated in experimental mesocosms, under controlled conditions. Enzymatic activities (laccase, total peroxidase and hydrolase), as well as microbial biomass and community structure (through phospholipid fatty acid and ergosterol analyses), were evaluated in the three soil systems 4 days after contamination and compared to no-spiked soils. In soil under holm oak, there was a stimulation of Gram+ bacteria after contamination with all the 3 PAHs, whereas in soil under pine, pyrene and phenanthrene additions mainly stimulated fungi and actinomycetes.

ACS Style

Enrica Picariello; Daniela Baldantoni; Flavia De Nicola. Acute effects of PAH contamination on microbial community of different forest soils. Environmental Pollution 2020, 262, 114378 .

AMA Style

Enrica Picariello, Daniela Baldantoni, Flavia De Nicola. Acute effects of PAH contamination on microbial community of different forest soils. Environmental Pollution. 2020; 262 ():114378.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Enrica Picariello; Daniela Baldantoni; Flavia De Nicola. 2020. "Acute effects of PAH contamination on microbial community of different forest soils." Environmental Pollution 262, no. : 114378.

Journal article
Published: 05 November 2019 in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
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Reconstructing spatial and temporal pollution gradients in natural and anthropogenic areas is of paramount importance to undertake proper mitigation strategies. To this end, air biomonitoring based on chemical analysis of selected bioaccumulators, provides useful information not only on the pollutant concentration gradients, but also on their possible effects on biota and ecosystems. The analysis of 18 potentially toxic elements (PTEs), namely macronutrients (Ca, K, Mg, P, S), micronutrients (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, V, Zn) and non-essential elements (Al, As, Cd, Pb), in Quercus ilex leaves collected from 26 sites belonging to remote, residential, urban and industrial areas of Salerno, in the Mediterranean area, provided accurate information on spatial and temporal air pollution gradients, as well as on the plant nutritional status within the whole area. Despite the adequate nutritional status of plants in all the site typologies, several criticalities were highlighted. Specifically, on a natural background contamination by Na (due to the sea proximity), Al and V (due to the lithological characteristics) of the whole area, anthropogenic activities were responsible for relatively high concentrations of selected PTEs in the different site typologies. Remote sites were affected by high Cd concentrations, due to the transport of fine particulate from urban or industrial areas. Urban (and to a lesser extent residential) sites were affected by high concentrations of most PTEs, mainly released by diffuse sources, such as vehicular traffic. Exceedingly high concentrations of As, Mn, Ni and Pb were observed in industrial sites, in relation to local and specific emissions. Anyway, an overall decrease, consistent with the general temporal trends observed in Europe in the last years, was observed in several PTE concentrations for all the site typologies.

ACS Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Flavia De Nicola; Anna Alfani. Potentially toxic element gradients in remote, residential, urban and industrial areas, as highlighted by the analysis of Quercus ilex leaves. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 2019, 47, 126522 .

AMA Style

Daniela Baldantoni, Flavia De Nicola, Anna Alfani. Potentially toxic element gradients in remote, residential, urban and industrial areas, as highlighted by the analysis of Quercus ilex leaves. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 2019; 47 ():126522.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Flavia De Nicola; Anna Alfani. 2019. "Potentially toxic element gradients in remote, residential, urban and industrial areas, as highlighted by the analysis of Quercus ilex leaves." Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 47, no. : 126522.

Journal article
Published: 19 October 2019 in Ecological Indicators
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Environmental monitoring in sensitive areas is crucial to develop and adapt governance policies. In this context, biomonitoring provides information not only on environmental contamination gradients, but also on the actual pollutant bioavailabilities and, using bioaccumulators, on their possible transfer through the food webs. The spatial distribution of suitable bioaccumulators, however, may limit the effectiveness of biomonitoring. To relieve this constraint, we investigated the usefulness of Mentha aquatica as a novel cosmopolitan biomonitor of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in freshwater ecosystems, using Helosciadium nodiflorum, a widely recognized biomonitor, as a reference for environmental concentration gradients. The biomonitors were then employed in deriving spatial gradients of macronutrient (Ca, K, Mg, P, S), micronutrient (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, Si, V, Zn) and non-essential element (Al, As, Cd, Pb) concentrations in the area of one of the largest Italian national parks. Over two years and a large number of sites, M. aquatica roots provided PTE concentration gradients comparable to those obtained using H. nodiflorum roots, demonstrating their usefulness in PTE biomonitoring and widening the range of suitable biomonitors for freshwater ecosystems. At the same time, the joint use of M. aquatica and H. nodiflorum enhanced the accuracy of concentration gradients measured in two of the main freshwater ecosystems within the “Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni” National Park (southern Italy). The study, performed for two consecutive years over 43 sites along the Bussento and Calore Salernitano rivers, pointed out several criticalities, attributable either to natural or anthropogenic sources. High natural concentrations of Al, As, Na, Si and V were mainly related to local characteristics (proximity to sea, sediment texture) or generalized lithological background (pyroclastic deposits on carbonates), whereas local high concentrations of Co, Fe and Mn were mainly related to direct or indirect anthropogenic sources (proximity to urban centers, wastewater treatment plants). Moreover, unusual high concentrations of Cd, Cr, Ni and Zn were observed at three spring mouths, suggesting changes in their bioavailability due to spring water physico-chemistry.

ACS Style

Alessandro Bellino; Anna Alfani; Laura De Riso; Romano Gregorio; Tommaso Pellegrino; Daniela Baldantoni. A promising cosmopolitan biomonitor of potentially toxic elements in freshwater ecosystems: concentration gradients in sensitive areas. Ecological Indicators 2019, 109, 105801 .

AMA Style

Alessandro Bellino, Anna Alfani, Laura De Riso, Romano Gregorio, Tommaso Pellegrino, Daniela Baldantoni. A promising cosmopolitan biomonitor of potentially toxic elements in freshwater ecosystems: concentration gradients in sensitive areas. Ecological Indicators. 2019; 109 ():105801.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandro Bellino; Anna Alfani; Laura De Riso; Romano Gregorio; Tommaso Pellegrino; Daniela Baldantoni. 2019. "A promising cosmopolitan biomonitor of potentially toxic elements in freshwater ecosystems: concentration gradients in sensitive areas." Ecological Indicators 109, no. : 105801.

Journal article
Published: 12 October 2019 in Journal of Environmental Management
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Microbial degradation is the main responsible for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) removal from contaminated soils, and the understanding of this process is pivotal to define effective bioremediation approaches. To evaluate the contribution of several microbial groups in soil anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene degradation, the analysis of phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles and machine learning techniques were employed. To this end, PLFAs and PAH concentrations were analysed, along 274 days of incubation in mesocosms, in soils artificially contaminated with anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene, subjected to different treatments: untreated soil and soils treated with biowaste compost or fungal consortium. Random forest models, figuring anthracene or benzo[a]pyrene concentrations as dependent variables and PLFAs as predictors, were then built to evaluate the contribution of each variable in PAH degradation. PLFA profiles varied substantially among soil treatments and along time, with the increase of Actinomycetes in soils added with fungi and other Gram+ bacteria in compost amended soils. The former, together with fungi, are primarily responsible for anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene degradation in both treated soils, a process in which also metanotrophs and other Gram+ and Gram- bacteria participate. In untreated soil, the cooperation of a multitude of different microorganisms was, instead, responsible for PAH removal, a process with lower efficiency in respect to treated soils.

ACS Style

Alessandro Bellino; Daniela Baldantoni; Enrica Picariello; Raffaella Morelli; Anna Alfani; Flavia De Nicola. Role of different microorganisms in remediating PAH-contaminated soils treated with compost or fungi. Journal of Environmental Management 2019, 252, 109675 .

AMA Style

Alessandro Bellino, Daniela Baldantoni, Enrica Picariello, Raffaella Morelli, Anna Alfani, Flavia De Nicola. Role of different microorganisms in remediating PAH-contaminated soils treated with compost or fungi. Journal of Environmental Management. 2019; 252 ():109675.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandro Bellino; Daniela Baldantoni; Enrica Picariello; Raffaella Morelli; Anna Alfani; Flavia De Nicola. 2019. "Role of different microorganisms in remediating PAH-contaminated soils treated with compost or fungi." Journal of Environmental Management 252, no. : 109675.

Journal article
Published: 18 July 2019 in Diversity and Distributions
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ACS Style

Alessandro Bellino; Maria Cristina Mangano; Daniela Baldantoni; Bayden Dwight Russell; Anna Maria Mannino; Antonio Mazzola; Salvatrice Vizzini; Gianluca Sarà. Seasonal patterns of biodiversity in Mediterranean coastal lagoons. Diversity and Distributions 2019, 25, 1512 -1526.

AMA Style

Alessandro Bellino, Maria Cristina Mangano, Daniela Baldantoni, Bayden Dwight Russell, Anna Maria Mannino, Antonio Mazzola, Salvatrice Vizzini, Gianluca Sarà. Seasonal patterns of biodiversity in Mediterranean coastal lagoons. Diversity and Distributions. 2019; 25 (10):1512-1526.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandro Bellino; Maria Cristina Mangano; Daniela Baldantoni; Bayden Dwight Russell; Anna Maria Mannino; Antonio Mazzola; Salvatrice Vizzini; Gianluca Sarà. 2019. "Seasonal patterns of biodiversity in Mediterranean coastal lagoons." Diversity and Distributions 25, no. 10: 1512-1526.

Journal article
Published: 08 October 2018 in Environmental Science and Pollution Research
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The effects of long-term soil fertilizations on nutrient and non-essential element concentrations in edible parts of three crops important in human diet were investigated repeating four treatments (biowaste compost, biowaste compost plus mineral nitrogen, mineral NPK, unfertilized control) for seven consecutive years (2007–2014). Fruits of Solanum lycopersicum cv San Marzano collected in 2011 and 2012, bulbs of Allium cepa cv Bianca di Pompei collected in 2012 and 2013, and bulbs of Foeniculum vulgare cv Orbit collected in 2014 were analyzed. Wide variations in element concentrations were observed along time and among species, with Ca, K, Mg, and Na higher in fennel bulbs and Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn higher in tomato fruits, where Cd reached concentrations up to ninefold higher than the permitted values (EU Regulation n. 488/2014). Despite the enrichments in soil total Cu and available Cd, Fe, K, Mn, and Zn concentrations due to long-term fertilization with biowaste compost (alone or with mineral fertilizers), plants showed lower micronutrient and non-essential element concentrations in respect to those on unfertilized soils. Considering the potential toxicity for human beings of these mobile and persistent elements, the obtained findings reassure on the safe use of biowaste compost in agriculture. Overall, this study suggests the use of compost as the most advisable fertilization practice and highlights the need of multiple crops analysis in evaluating the effects of long-term soil fertilization on their chemical composition.

ACS Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Giovanni Saviello; Anna Alfani. Nutrients and non-essential elements in edible crops following long-term mineral and compost fertilization of a Mediterranean agricultural soil. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2018, 26, 35353 -35364.

AMA Style

Daniela Baldantoni, Giovanni Saviello, Anna Alfani. Nutrients and non-essential elements in edible crops following long-term mineral and compost fertilization of a Mediterranean agricultural soil. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2018; 26 (35):35353-35364.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Giovanni Saviello; Anna Alfani. 2018. "Nutrients and non-essential elements in edible crops following long-term mineral and compost fertilization of a Mediterranean agricultural soil." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 26, no. 35: 35353-35364.

Journal article
Published: 07 September 2018 in Landscape and Urban Planning
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By increasing landscape patchiness and habitat loss, urbanization threatens biodiversity. Its adverse effects may be mitigated by urban parks, in which conditions that promote structural and functional biodiversity contribute to preserve ecosystem processes. Therefore, deep knowledge of urban park biodiversity and of patterns driving species assemblages is required, especially for soil communities which are understudied. This study, conducted in public parks in Montpellier (Southern France), is the first one examining the impact of landscape patterns on Collembola communities. Moreover, soil abiotic properties were analyzed to examine how local factors drive species assemblages in different landscape types. The results of the study highlighted that Collembola community structure is affected by landscape patterns. Specifically, Collembola communities with species-abundance structures typical of late successional stages were found within woody landscapes, whereas those with early successional stage structures were observed in wide turf patches surrounded by other vegetation covers. When turf patches become small and isolated, homogenization was observed in Collembola community composition. From the perspective of urban park planning, managers should consider limiting landscape fragmentation (i.e. interspersion and configuration of impervious surfaces) and preserving landscape diversity (especially through woody vegetation patches). These may promote the development of diverse and structured Collembola communities, indicators of the overall soil quality.

ACS Style

V. Milano; G. Maisto; D. Baldantoni; A. Bellino; C. Bernard; A. Croce; F. Dubs; S. Strumia; J. Cortet. The effect of urban park landscapes on soil Collembola diversity: A Mediterranean case study. Landscape and Urban Planning 2018, 180, 135 -147.

AMA Style

V. Milano, G. Maisto, D. Baldantoni, A. Bellino, C. Bernard, A. Croce, F. Dubs, S. Strumia, J. Cortet. The effect of urban park landscapes on soil Collembola diversity: A Mediterranean case study. Landscape and Urban Planning. 2018; 180 ():135-147.

Chicago/Turabian Style

V. Milano; G. Maisto; D. Baldantoni; A. Bellino; C. Bernard; A. Croce; F. Dubs; S. Strumia; J. Cortet. 2018. "The effect of urban park landscapes on soil Collembola diversity: A Mediterranean case study." Landscape and Urban Planning 180, no. : 135-147.

Journal article
Published: 01 February 2018 in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
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The Sarno River is considered the most polluted river in Europe and one of the ten most polluted rivers in the\ud world. So far, its quality has been usually evaluated by water and sediment analyses of either inorganic or\ud organic pollutants. However, a biomonitoring approach would be of paramount importance in the evaluation of\ud river quality, since it integrates pollutant temporal fluctuations, as in the case of discontinuous inputs from\ud urban, industrial and agricultural activities. To this end, a passive biomonitoring study of the Sarno River was\ud carried out, using two native aquatic plants accumulators of inorganic pollutants. The spring area was monitored\ud analysing the roots of the semi-submerged Apium nodiflorum, whereas the whole river course was monitored\ud analysing the shoots of the submerged Potamogeton pectinatus. The information on the four macronutrient (Ca, K,\ud Mg, P), the six micronutrient (Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, Zn) and the four toxic element (Cd, Cr, Pb, V) concentrations\ud were separately combined in the Nemerow Pollution Index. Results evidenced a severe pollution degree of the\ud Sarno River, attributable to toxic elements>micronutrients>macronutrients. In particular, the spring area\ud showed high K concentrations, as well as high concentrations of several micronutrients and toxic elements. A\ud generalized Zn contamination and a progressive macronutrient (above all Ca and P), micronutrient (above all Ni,\ud Cu and Fe) and toxic element (above all Cr and Pb) accumulation toward the mouth was related to pollution\ud from agricultural and urban activities. Industrial sources, especially tanneries along the Solofrana tributary,\ud accounted for high Mn concentrations, whereas the volcanic origin of the substrate accounted for a generalized V\ud contamination

ACS Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Alessandro Bellino; Giusy Lofrano; Giovanni Libralato; Luca Pucci; Maurizio Carotenuto. Biomonitoring of nutrient and toxic element concentrations in the Sarno River through aquatic plants. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2018, 148, 520 -527.

AMA Style

Daniela Baldantoni, Alessandro Bellino, Giusy Lofrano, Giovanni Libralato, Luca Pucci, Maurizio Carotenuto. Biomonitoring of nutrient and toxic element concentrations in the Sarno River through aquatic plants. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 2018; 148 ():520-527.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Alessandro Bellino; Giusy Lofrano; Giovanni Libralato; Luca Pucci; Maurizio Carotenuto. 2018. "Biomonitoring of nutrient and toxic element concentrations in the Sarno River through aquatic plants." Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 148, no. : 520-527.

Journal article
Published: 01 February 2018 in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
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Antibiotics are emerging pollutants released into the environment through wastewater and manure or effluents from livestock plants. Compared to the wide literature on the effects of antibiotics on the development of drug-resistant bacteria and on the adverse effects on animals and human beings, the effects on plants are less investigated. Here we evaluated the effects of four antibiotics (cloramphenicol: CAP, spiramycin: SPR, spectinomycin: SPT, vancomycin: VAN) belonging to different chemical groups, on seed germination and root development of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. San Marzano). Specifically, seed germination and root elongation kinetics, as well as the number of mithotic figures in root apical meristem, were studied in relation to different concentrations of each antibiotic (0, 0.1, 1, 10, 100, 1000mgL(-1)) for 10 and 7 days, respectively. Results showed that seed germination was not affected, but root development (root elongation kinetics and cell division) was impaired at concentrations from 10mgL(-1) (SPT) and 100mgL(-1) (CAP) to 1000mgL(-1) (SPR and VAN).

ACS Style

Alessandro Bellino; Giusy Lofrano; Maurizio Carotenuto; Giovanni Libralato; Daniela Baldantoni. Antibiotic effects on seed germination and root development of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 2018, 148, 135 -141.

AMA Style

Alessandro Bellino, Giusy Lofrano, Maurizio Carotenuto, Giovanni Libralato, Daniela Baldantoni. Antibiotic effects on seed germination and root development of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 2018; 148 ():135-141.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandro Bellino; Giusy Lofrano; Maurizio Carotenuto; Giovanni Libralato; Daniela Baldantoni. 2018. "Antibiotic effects on seed germination and root development of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)." Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 148, no. : 135-141.

Article
Published: 23 November 2017 in Ecosphere
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A frequent side-effect of soil treatment with organic amendments is the slow release of harmful metals deriving from the initial matrices, mainly municipal waste and manure from intensive farming. Contamination is amplified by repeated treatments, which is a common practice to maintain soil fertility. The aim of the present research was to compare, in a mesocosm trial, short (one year)- and long-term (ten years) effects of a single application of compost or a mixture of compost and poultry manure to limestone waste. Attention was focused on pH, organic matter content, metal availability, and microbial biomass and activity. Amendment ecotoxicity at ten years after application was also evaluated. A single application reduced the metal availability and metabolic quotient (an index of stress condition). In the long term, an overall improvement of the environmental conditions has been observed, as the microbial biomass increased, respiration decreased (suggesting low energy requirement) and mineralization activity decreased (likely due to high recalcitrance of residual organic matter). In the brief term, poultry manure played a significant role in improving the environmental conditions as it contributed to reduce the metal availability and to enhance the microbial biomass and activity. In the long term, the overall conditions of both the organic amendments appeared favorable for organisms as low ecotoxicity occurred.

ACS Style

Valeria Memoli; A. De Marco; Daniela Baldantoni; Flavia De Nicola; Giulia Maisto. Short- and long-term effects of a single application of two organic amendments. Ecosphere 2017, 8, e02009 .

AMA Style

Valeria Memoli, A. De Marco, Daniela Baldantoni, Flavia De Nicola, Giulia Maisto. Short- and long-term effects of a single application of two organic amendments. Ecosphere. 2017; 8 (11):e02009.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Valeria Memoli; A. De Marco; Daniela Baldantoni; Flavia De Nicola; Giulia Maisto. 2017. "Short- and long-term effects of a single application of two organic amendments." Ecosphere 8, no. 11: e02009.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2017 in Applied Soil Ecology
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Urban parks provide esthetic and recreational services and improve the quality of life in cities. Sometimes considered as biodiversity hot-spots in cities, they are subjected to different management practices which may affect soil biological quality. This is the first study - performed in urban parks of Naples (southern Italy) - aiming to evaluate the effects of park history (age, previous land use of the area and soil origin), urbanization (sealed surface density of park neighborhood), current management (land cover type and litter presence/absence) or soil physico-chemical properties on collembolan communities diversity, as indicators of soil biological quality. Our results showed that the maintenance of specific land cover types and the presence of a litter layer were crucial factors in favoring high collembolan richness in urban parks, likely by ensuring adequate trophic resources and spatial niches. In addition, park age, urban density and previous land use of areas may be involved in shaping collembolan communities. Indeed, the most diverse and structured communities inhabit soils of the oldest urban park, with the lowest surrounding urban density and mild land use change

ACS Style

V. Milano; J. Cortet; D. Baldantoni; A. Bellino; F. Dubs; J. Nahmani; S. Strumia; G. Maisto. Collembolan biodiversity in Mediterranean urban parks: impact of history, urbanization, management and soil characteristics. Applied Soil Ecology 2017, 119, 428 -437.

AMA Style

V. Milano, J. Cortet, D. Baldantoni, A. Bellino, F. Dubs, J. Nahmani, S. Strumia, G. Maisto. Collembolan biodiversity in Mediterranean urban parks: impact of history, urbanization, management and soil characteristics. Applied Soil Ecology. 2017; 119 ():428-437.

Chicago/Turabian Style

V. Milano; J. Cortet; D. Baldantoni; A. Bellino; F. Dubs; J. Nahmani; S. Strumia; G. Maisto. 2017. "Collembolan biodiversity in Mediterranean urban parks: impact of history, urbanization, management and soil characteristics." Applied Soil Ecology 119, no. : 428-437.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2017 in Journal of Hazardous Materials
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In order to validate the use of compost in soil PAH bioremediation, the degradation of anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene was monitored in soils artificially contaminated and incubated in mesocosms under controlled conditions. The dynamics observed in compost amended soil were compared to those observed in soil added with a fungal consortium and untreated soil. At the same time, three microbial enzyme activities usually involved in PAH degradation (laccase, o-diphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities) were monitored. Both PAHs decreased along the time in the three mesocosms, with anthracene, with lower molecular weight, degrading with a higher rate and reaching lower residual values than benzo(a)pyrene. Although at the end of incubation, the residual values of investigated PAHs are similar in the three mesocosm types, PAH dynamics showed a higher degradation rate in the early stage in mesocosms added with the fungal mycelium and amended with compost. Among the three enzyme activities, only peroxidase showed higher values in treated than untreated mesocosms. Considering the ameliorating effects of compost on degraded soils, its use can be suggested in PAH bioremediation.

ACS Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Raffaella Morelli; Alessandro Bellino; Maria Vittoria Prati; Anna Alfani; Flavia De Nicola. Anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene degradation in soil is favoured by compost amendment: Perspectives for a bioremediation approach. Journal of Hazardous Materials 2017, 339, 395 -400.

AMA Style

Daniela Baldantoni, Raffaella Morelli, Alessandro Bellino, Maria Vittoria Prati, Anna Alfani, Flavia De Nicola. Anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene degradation in soil is favoured by compost amendment: Perspectives for a bioremediation approach. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2017; 339 ():395-400.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Raffaella Morelli; Alessandro Bellino; Maria Vittoria Prati; Anna Alfani; Flavia De Nicola. 2017. "Anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene degradation in soil is favoured by compost amendment: Perspectives for a bioremediation approach." Journal of Hazardous Materials 339, no. : 395-400.

Research article
Published: 28 September 2016 in Environmental Science and Pollution Research
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Agricultural soils of semi-arid Mediterranean areas are often subjected to depletion of their chemical, physical, and biological properties. In this context, organic fertilization, in addition to providing nutrients for a longer time in respect to mineral fertilization, improves many other characteristics related to soil fertility. Moreover, the combined use of organic and mineral fertilizers may promote a more sustainable crop production. However, a concern on the long-term use of organic fertilizers arises in relation to the possible accumulation of toxic elements in soil and their transfer to human beings. For this reason, a long-term study on nutrient and toxic element total concentrations and availabilities during fertilization treatments was carried out. In particular, mineral NPK fertilized soils, soils amended with biowaste compost, soils amended with biowaste compost plus mineral nitrogen, and unfertilized soils were analyzed for 11 chemical elements. The results highlighted that temporal variations in total and bioavailable concentrations of both nutrients and toxic elements, occurring also in unfertilized soils, are wider than those related to fertilization treatments. Anyway, soil amendments with biowaste compost, alone or in combination with mineral fertilizers, reduce Cu bioavailability but improve K, Fe, Mn, and Zn availabilities, excluding at the same time a long-term accumulation in soil. Total and bioavailable toxic element concentrations (apart from available Cd) do not vary in relation to fertilization treatments.

ACS Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Luigi Morra; Giovanni Saviello; Anna Alfani. Nutrient and toxic element soil concentrations during repeated mineral and compost fertilization treatments in a Mediterranean agricultural soil. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2016, 23, 25169 -25179.

AMA Style

Daniela Baldantoni, Luigi Morra, Giovanni Saviello, Anna Alfani. Nutrient and toxic element soil concentrations during repeated mineral and compost fertilization treatments in a Mediterranean agricultural soil. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2016; 23 (24):25169-25179.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Luigi Morra; Giovanni Saviello; Anna Alfani. 2016. "Nutrient and toxic element soil concentrations during repeated mineral and compost fertilization treatments in a Mediterranean agricultural soil." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 23, no. 24: 25169-25179.

Journal article
Published: 04 April 2016 in Environmental Science and Pollution Research
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Choosing native vascular plants as nutrient and toxic element accumulators for passive biomonitoring of urban river quality is not an easy task in Mediterranean rivers, due to the particular climate determining high variations in river hydrology. To identify potential biomonitors for this area, the roots of seven species (Angelica sylvestris, Apium nodiflorum, Tradescantia fluminensis, Nasturtium officinale, Persicaria lapathifolia, Arctium lappa, Typha latifolia), growing in seven sites along the River Irno (Southern Italy), were collected in July 2010 and analyzed regarding their capability to accumulate Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn through atomic absorption spectrometry. Notwithstanding the expected different accumulation degree among the species, they highlighted similar spatial contamination gradients, and all of them appeared suitable, alone or in combination, for river passive biomonitoring. A. nodiflorum, in particular, appeared the best biomonitor for the River Irno, where severe anthropogenic impacts were detected: high Cu and Cd contamination from vine cultivation in the upper stretch, and Pb, Zn, and Mn contamination in the medium stretch from airborne dusts coming from a cast iron foundry.

ACS Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Anna Alfani. Usefulness of different vascular plant species for passive biomonitoring of Mediterranean rivers. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2016, 23, 13907 -13917.

AMA Style

Daniela Baldantoni, Anna Alfani. Usefulness of different vascular plant species for passive biomonitoring of Mediterranean rivers. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2016; 23 (14):13907-13917.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Anna Alfani. 2016. "Usefulness of different vascular plant species for passive biomonitoring of Mediterranean rivers." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 23, no. 14: 13907-13917.

Review
Published: 01 April 2016 in Water Research
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Pollution by metal and metalloid ions is one of the most widespread environmental concerns. They are non-biodegradable, and, generally, present high water solubility facilitating their environmental mobilisation interacting with abiotic and biotic components such as adsorption onto natural colloids or even accumulation by living organisms, thus, threatening human health and ecosystems. Therefore, there is a high demand for effective removal treatments of heavy metals, making the application of adsorption materials such as polymer-functionalized nanocomposites (PFNCs), increasingly attractive. PFNCs retain the inherent remarkable surface properties of nanoparticles, while the polymeric support materials provide high stability and processability. These nanoparticle-matrix materials are of great interest for metals and metalloids removal thanks to the functional groups of the polymeric matrixes that provide specific bindings to target pollutants. This review discusses PFNCs synthesis, characterization and performance in adsorption processes as well as the potential environmental risks and perspectives.

ACS Style

Giusy Lofrano; Maurizio Carotenuto; Giovanni Libralato; Rute F. Domingos; Arjen Markus; Luciana Dini; Ravindra Kumar Gautam; Daniela Baldantoni; Marco Rossi; Sanjay K. Sharma; Mahesh Chandra Chattopadhyaya; Maurizio Giugni; Sureyya Meric. Polymer functionalized nanocomposites for metals removal from water and wastewater: An overview. Water Research 2016, 92, 22 -37.

AMA Style

Giusy Lofrano, Maurizio Carotenuto, Giovanni Libralato, Rute F. Domingos, Arjen Markus, Luciana Dini, Ravindra Kumar Gautam, Daniela Baldantoni, Marco Rossi, Sanjay K. Sharma, Mahesh Chandra Chattopadhyaya, Maurizio Giugni, Sureyya Meric. Polymer functionalized nanocomposites for metals removal from water and wastewater: An overview. Water Research. 2016; 92 ():22-37.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giusy Lofrano; Maurizio Carotenuto; Giovanni Libralato; Rute F. Domingos; Arjen Markus; Luciana Dini; Ravindra Kumar Gautam; Daniela Baldantoni; Marco Rossi; Sanjay K. Sharma; Mahesh Chandra Chattopadhyaya; Maurizio Giugni; Sureyya Meric. 2016. "Polymer functionalized nanocomposites for metals removal from water and wastewater: An overview." Water Research 92, no. : 22-37.

Journal article
Published: 21 February 2016 in iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry
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Chemometric analysis applied to diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is increasingly proposed as an effective and accurate methodology to predict soil physical, chemical and biological properties. Its effectiveness, however, largely varies in relation to the calibration techniques and the specific soil properties. In addition, the calibration of UV-Vis-NIR spectra usually requires large datasets, and the identification of techniques suitable to deal with small sample sizes and high dimensionality problems is a primary challenge. In order to investigate the predictability of many soil chemical and biological properties from a small dataset and to identify the most suitable techniques to deal with this type of problems, we analysed 20 top soil samples of three different forests (Fagus sylvatica, Quercus cerris and Quercus ilex) in southern Apennines (Italy). Diffuse reflectance spectra were recorded in the UV-Vis-NIR range (200-2500 nm) and 22 chemical and biological properties were analysed. Three different calibration techniques were tested, namely the Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR), the combinations wavelet transformation/Elastic net and wavelet transformation/Supervised Principal Component (SPC) regression/ Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), a kind of preconditioned LASSO. Calibration techniques were applied to both raw spectra and spectra subjected to wavelet shrinkage filtering, in order to evaluate the influence on predictions of spectra denoising. Overall, SPC/LASSO outperformed the other techniques with both raw and denoised spectra. Elastic net produced heterogeneous results, but outperformed SPC/LASSO for total organic carbon, whereas PLSR produced the worst results. Spectra denoising improved the prediction accuracy of many parameters, but worsen the predictions in some cases. Our approach highlighted that: (i) SPC/LASSO (and Elastic net in the case of total organic carbon) is especially suitable to calibrate spectra in the case of small, high dimensional datasets; and (ii) spectra denoising could be an effective technique to improve calibration results.

ACS Style

A Bellino; C Colombo; P Iovieno; A Alfani; Giuseppe Palumbo; D Baldantoni. Chemometric technique performances in predicting forest soil chemical and biological properties from UV-Vis-NIR reflectance spectra with small, high dimensional datasets. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry 2016, 9, 101 -108.

AMA Style

A Bellino, C Colombo, P Iovieno, A Alfani, Giuseppe Palumbo, D Baldantoni. Chemometric technique performances in predicting forest soil chemical and biological properties from UV-Vis-NIR reflectance spectra with small, high dimensional datasets. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry. 2016; 9 (1):101-108.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A Bellino; C Colombo; P Iovieno; A Alfani; Giuseppe Palumbo; D Baldantoni. 2016. "Chemometric technique performances in predicting forest soil chemical and biological properties from UV-Vis-NIR reflectance spectra with small, high dimensional datasets." iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry 9, no. 1: 101-108.

Evaluation study
Published: 05 February 2016 in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
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ACS Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Alessandro Bellino; Anna Alfani. Soil compost amendment enhances tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) quality. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 2016, 96, 4082 -4088.

AMA Style

Daniela Baldantoni, Alessandro Bellino, Anna Alfani. Soil compost amendment enhances tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) quality. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2016; 96 (12):4082-4088.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniela Baldantoni; Alessandro Bellino; Anna Alfani. 2016. "Soil compost amendment enhances tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) quality." Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 96, no. 12: 4082-4088.