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COURSE INFO PROVIDER: SWSPCP Webinar
COURSE TITLE: Agriculture and Aquatic Ecosystems. "La Brava" Lake, a Model in the Pampa Region of Argentina

INSTRUCTORS Dra. Mirta L. Menone
Dr. Lucas Lombardero

COURSE DESCRIPTION Abstract:
In the Pampas region of Argentina, the process known as agriculturization is developed, which refers to the continuous and increasing use of land for agricultural crops instead of livestock or mixed uses. In addition, this process entails technological changes and monocultures (mainly soybeans or the wheat-soybean combination). This is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, but the application of agrochemicals, and the supply of nutrients from agroecosystems constitute the main threats to the surrounding aquatic ecosystems.
Ecotoxicology is a discipline that studies adverse effects of contaminants on non-target organisms. These effects at sub-organism level (biochemical, physiological, genetic, etc.) can be quantified, and applied to the biomonitoring of contamination.
La Brava lake is located in the Pampa South region of Argentina. It has been declared a Protected Landscape in 2018 by the provincial government, but it is contaminated by current use pesticides coming from the surrounded agricultural activity. There, we have detected that the mixture of the herbicide glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA, and the insecticides chlorpyrifos and imidacloprid in the surface water correlates with effects such as oxidative stress in fish and macrophytes of the lagoon. Given that pampas lagoons in general are impacted by these pollutants, the implementation of provincial monitoring programs is urgent, as is the validity of national guidelines.

Speaker Bio's:
Mirta Menone has a wide range of interests, with an emphasis on environmental fate and sublethal effects of pesticides and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the aquatic environment. Her international experience includes a training stay at Trent University (Canada) during her doctoral studies and a post-doctorate at the IGB in Berlin (Germany) under a Humboldt research fellowship (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation).

She currently works on biomonitoring of currently used pesticides, PPCPs and veterinary pharmaceuticals in aquatic ecosystems and the use of early warning systems (biomarkers). Her research includes physiological, biochemical and genetic biomarkers in non-target species, mainly macrophytes.

In addition to her academic work, she participates in government issues as coordinator of the working group "Water Quality and Guide Levels for the Protection of Aquatic Biodiversity" at REM.AQUA. She is a researcher at the National Research Council of Argentina (CONICET) and Professor at the National University of Mar del Plata. Additionally, Menone has been a member of the Society of Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry (SETAC) since 1995. She has actively participated in the Argentine Chapter of SETAC, being President (2016-2018) and Past-President (2018-2022).

Lucas Lombardero, during his training as a graduate scholar at the National University of Mar de Plata (UNMDP), carried out his final work at the Genetics Laboratory, Center for Reproduction and Human Genetics (CRECER). Recently, he has completed his doctoral degree in Biological Sciences with a specialization in Ecotoxicology at the UNMDP. He works in the UNMDP Ecotoxicology Laboratory, where he analyzes biomarkers as early warning systems of contamination in different organisms. During his career, he has participated in the Buenos Aires Environmental Studies Network (2018-2020) and the Society of Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry (SETAC) of which he is a member. His commitment to education is reflected in his role as a professor at the National University of Mar de Plata and the FASTA University-Argentina.

Course Duration: 60 minutes
Credit Points: 0.06

SYLLABUS/TOPICAL OUTLINE - General Introduction (5 min) - Background (10 min) - Case Study (30 min) - Questions and Answers (15 min)

COURSE CONTACT

Jason Todd Tucker
9999 Carver Road, Suite 210, Cincinnati, OH 45242-5552
jason.tucker@hdrinc.com
P: 5133492478
F:

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