Johann Hohenegger

Protected coastal areas, such as bays, estuaries, and coastal lagoons, are generally highly populated and impacted by anthropogenic activities. These regions are also vulnerable to the effects of climate change and sea level fluctuations. This work aims to study the records of temporal changes induced by shifts in rainfall and human factors in the western region of Ilha Grande Bay (BIG; Rio de Janeiro State, SE Brazil). The study compares textural, mineralogical, and geochemical data in two cores, BIG01 and BIG02, collected in Paraty Harbor and Saco de Mamanguá, respectively. The two cores have recorded sedimentary changes since 1950, as indicated by ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs dating. The statistically integrated results indicate higher moisture levels before ~ 2000 in this region and a general trend toward reduced rainfall since then, accompanied by an increase in the sediment accumulation rate since the 1980s, likely due to the progressive expansion of urbanization, deforestation, agriculture, and dredging activities in BIG. The Paraty region (BIG01) was most affected by recurrent landslides during concentrated rainfall in SACZ events and by anthropic impact, especially since ~ 1970. This impact has resulted in silting, eutrophication, and moderate pollution by potentially toxic elements, especially Cu, Pb, Sn, Zn, and As. The records of cores BIG01 and BIG02 highlight the influence of climate change, namely SACZ and human activities, on sedimentation and sediment quality. The recurrence of mega-events, such as SACZ paleo-events, and their impact on landslides in slope zones require further study, particularly in densely populated areas.

This study aims to analyses the response of meiofaunal organisms (foraminifera) to disturbances caused by the diffusers of domestic sewage outfall at Cigarras beach, SE Brazil. Hydrographical, sedimentological (grain size and geochemical), and living benthic foraminiferal recorded in 2006 and 2007 analyzed in ten stations were compared with the same results analyzed in two control/reference stations (sampled in 2008). The results of this work show that, in the benthic environment of the Cigarras region, moderated hydrodynamic conditions, relatively high total organic carbon, total nitrogen, total sulfur contents, oxic water column and anoxic sediments, organic matter supplied by marine productivity and from mixed sources prevail. Living foraminiferal assemblages denote that the Cigarras region is undergoing environmental degradation due to progressive organic enrichment directly influenced by the domestic sewage outfall. The effluents discharged by the domestic sewage constrained the composition of foraminiferal communities (which include mainly stress tolerant species) with probable impacts on the entire marine trophic chain. Noticeably, the tolerant species Ammonia tepida, Bolivina striatula and Buliminella elegantissima dominated at the stations under the influence of the sewage outfall. In addition, Ammonia parkinsoniana was found in moderate abundances, and the moderate level of TOC enrichment by the sewage outfall did not prevent the survival of this sensitive species. The ecological quality status inferred from the diversity index Exp(H’_bc) calculated on foraminifera showed the poor ecological status of benthic habitats in the area. Overall, this work highlighted the adverse effects of the sewage outfall on the benthic ecosystem in front of the Cigarras beach in Brazil. Future works should investigate the current ecological quality of the area to figure out if any change occurred since the present study sampling.

We compare carnivoran guilds (defined by body mass, locomotor pattern, and diet preference) of the Eppelsheim Formation (MN 9/10) to that of Dorn-Dürkheim 1 (MN 11), Germany, to establish qualitative as well as quantitative bases for the comparison of faunal associations. Taxonomic results reveal moderate faunal exchange between these two communities, mainly due to the disappearance of amphicyonids and the appearance of hyenids at Dorn-Dürkheim 1. As verified by cluster analysis and principal component analysis, the corresponding niches get replaced by new taxa with very similar ecologies, while several guild elements remain stable. However, the number of species occupying a single niche rises at Dorn-Dürkheim 1 to three, supporting previous studies on the whole mammal community that showed that the taxa of this site lived in a highly diverse environment. The only significant ecomorphological change is the disappearance of semiaquatical lutrines such as Limonyx and Sivaonyx. The evolution of the early to middle Upper Miocene carnivoran guilds in Germany is thus characterised by small ecomorphological changes reflecting a diversification of the environment from MN 9 to MN 11, while taxonomic structures of the guilds changed on family level.