Suchergebnisse

Objectives are to determine the occurrence of species of Potamon in eastern Crete and the Aegean Islands (Chios, Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, Tinos and Andros); generate phylogenetic relationships among species to propose a biogeographic hypothesis relative to current distributions of the four species of the freshwater crab genus, Potamon, in Greece; and comment on the need to protect habitat suitable for the survival of species of Potamon in the country. Our collections, made in areas not previously sampled by researchers, indicate the presence of Potamon fluviatile on Tinos, N axos, and Andros, and Potamon potamios from central to eastern Crete; and verified the presence of Potamon ibericum on Chios. Cladistic analyses resulted in a single parsimonious tree (CI=85, RI=75). Potamon in the Balkan peninsula and islands in the Mediterranean region is a monophyletic group composed of two main clades: Clade 1 (P. fluviatile andPotamon algeriense) and Clade 2 (P. ibericum and its sister group composed of Potamon rhodium and Potamon potamios). Vicariant events (e.g. marine transgression and regression, orogeny, volcanism) are hypothesized as major factors that have shaped current distributions of species of Potamon in the Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor, and the islands of the North Aegean Sea, Eastern Sporades, the Cyclades, and Crete. We recommend an increase in environmental education and communication among older and younger generations, agriculturalists, politicians, policy writers, land developers and economists to create an understanding for the need to protect land and aquatic environments that harbor unique species and the potential benefits for economic activities such as ecotourism. We also recommend the creation of an action plan to develop ecotourism around conservation areas ( e.g. from the source of existing springs downstream for about 200 m before the installation of water withdrawal equipment for irrigation and potable supplies) to generate revenue for funding protection initiatives and to promote green economic development that is ecologically and socio-culturally sustainable.

Objectives were to conduct screening level surveys of locally consumed fish tissues in vicinities of two lakes (Kastoria and Pamvotis) in Greece to determine the presence of halogenated organic compounds and determine carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic human health risks associated with the consumption of sampled fish tissues. Results estimate the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risks (ILCR) and Hazard Index (HI) values for the two local populations using site-specific population data. These results were compared to analyses conducted using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency default values in an effort to determine the applicability of USEPA default values to assessments of risks in non U.S. populations. Using site specific data, 87 % of the mean ILCRs calculated for total populations and sub-populations (i.e. female adult, female youth, male adult and male youth) consuming fishes from the two lakes we studied were above USEPA's acceptable cancer risk of 1.0E-06; 53 % of the mean HIs were greater than 1.0. The USEPA default value (0.054 kg/d) for ingestion rate (IR) is considerably lower than the mean site specific IRs derived from populations in vicinity of Lake Kastoria (0.20; min.=0.09; max.=0.29 kg/d) and Lake Pamvotis (0.10; min.=0.01; max.=0.21 kg/d). These differences point to the need for the development of default values specific to the regions and population consumption patterns within Greece.