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Laranjeiro F, Rotander A, López-Ibáñez S, Vilas A, Södergren Seilitz F, Clérandeau C, Sampalo M, Rial D, Bellas J, Cachot J, Almeda R, Beiras R. Comparative assessment of the acute toxicity of commercial bio-based polymer leachates on marine plankton. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 946:174403. [PMID: 38960198 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Conventional plastics have become a major environmental concern due to their persistence and accumulation in marine ecosystems. The development of potential degradable polymers (PBP), such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and polylactic acid (PLA), has gained attention as an alternative to mitigate plastic pollution, since they have the potential to biodegrade under certain conditions, and their production is increasing as replacement of conventional polyolefins. This study aimed to assess and compare the toxicity of leachates of pre-compounding PBP (PLA and the PHA, polyhydroxybutyrate-covalerate (PHBv)) and polypropylene (PP) on five marine planktonic species. A battery of standard bioassays using bacteria, microalgae, sea urchin embryos, mussel embryos and copepod nauplii was conducted to assess the toxicity of leachates from those polymers. Additionally, the presence of chemical additives in the leachates was also verified through GC-MS and LC-HRMS analysis. Results showed that PHBv leachates exhibited higher toxicity compared to other polymers, with the microalgae Rhodomonas salina, being the most sensitive species to the tested leachates. On the other hand, PP and PLA generally displayed minimal to no toxicity in the studied species. Estimated species sensitivity distribution curves (SSD) show that PHBv leachates can be 10 times more hazardous to marine plankton than PP or PLA leachates, as demonstrated by the calculated Hazardous Concentration for 5 % of species (HC5). Qualitative chemical analysis supports the toxicological results, with 80 % of compounds being identified in PHBv leachates of which 2,4,6-trichlorophenol is worth mentioning due to the deleterious effects to aquatic biota described in literature. These findings underscore the fact that whereas environmental persistence can be targeted using PBP, the issue of chemical safety remains unsolved by some alternatives, such as PHBv. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the toxicity profiles of PBP materials through a priori toxicological risk assessment is vital for their responsible application as alternatives to conventional plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Laranjeiro
- ECIMAT, Centro de Investigación Mariña (CIM), Universidade de Vigo, 36331 Vigo, Galicia, Spain.
| | - A Rotander
- MTM Research Centre, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - S López-Ibáñez
- ECIMAT, Centro de Investigación Mariña (CIM), Universidade de Vigo, 36331 Vigo, Galicia, Spain
| | - A Vilas
- ECIMAT, Centro de Investigación Mariña (CIM), Universidade de Vigo, 36331 Vigo, Galicia, Spain
| | | | - C Clérandeau
- EPOC, University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, UMR 5805, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - M Sampalo
- EOMAR, ECOAQUA, University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - D Rial
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, Subida a Radio Faro, 50-52 36390 Vigo, Galicia, Spain
| | - J Bellas
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, Subida a Radio Faro, 50-52 36390 Vigo, Galicia, Spain
| | - J Cachot
- EPOC, University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, UMR 5805, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - R Almeda
- EOMAR, ECOAQUA, University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - R Beiras
- ECIMAT, Centro de Investigación Mariña (CIM), Universidade de Vigo, 36331 Vigo, Galicia, Spain
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2
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Gambardella C, Miroglio R, Costa E, Cachot J, Morin B, Clérandeau C, Rotander A, Rocco K, d'Errico G, Almeda R, Alonso O, Grau E, Piazza V, Pittura L, Benedetti M, Regoli F, Faimali M, Garaventa F. New insights into the impact of leachates from in-field collected plastics on aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 355:124233. [PMID: 38801877 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The impact of leachates from micronized beached plastics of the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean on coastal marine ecosystems was investigated by using a multidisciplinary approach. Chemical analysis and ecotoxicological tests on phylogenetically distant species were performed on leachates from the following plastic categories: bottles, pellets, hard plastic (HP) containers, fishing nets (FN) and rapido trawling rubber (RTR). The bacteria Alivibrio fischeri, the nauplii of the crustaceans Amphibalanus amphitrite and Acartia tonsa, the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis, the embryos of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, the ephyrae of the jellyfish Aurelia sp. and the larvae of the medaka Oryzias latipes were exposed to different concentrations of leachates to evaluate lethal and sub-lethal effects. Thirty-one additives were identified in the plastic leachates; benzophenone, benzyl butyl phthalate and ethylparaben were present in all leachates. Ecotoxicity of leachates varied among plastic categories and areas, being RTR, HP and FN more toxic than plastic bottles and pellets to several marine invertebrates. The ecotoxicological results based on 13 endpoints were elaborated within a quantitative weight of evidence (WOE) model, providing a synthetic hazard index for each data typology, before their integrations in an environmental risk index. The WOE assigned a moderate and slight hazard to organisms exposed to leachates of FN and HP collected in the Mediterranean Sea respectively, and a moderate hazard to leachates of HP from the Atlantic Ocean. No hazard was found for pellet, bottles and RTR. These findings suggest that an integrated approach based on WOE on a large set of bioassays is recommended to get a more reliable assessment of the ecotoxicity of beached-plastic leachates. In addition, the additives leached from FN and HP should be further investigated to reduce high concentrations and additive types that could impact marine ecosystem health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Gambardella
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per lo Studio degli Impatti Antropici e Sostenibilità in ambiente marino (CNR-IAS), Via de Marini 6, 16149, Genova, Italy.
| | - Roberta Miroglio
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per lo Studio degli Impatti Antropici e Sostenibilità in ambiente marino (CNR-IAS), Via de Marini 6, 16149, Genova, Italy
| | - Elisa Costa
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per lo Studio degli Impatti Antropici e Sostenibilità in ambiente marino (CNR-IAS), Via de Marini 6, 16149, Genova, Italy
| | - Jérôme Cachot
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC UMR 5805, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - Bénédicte Morin
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC UMR 5805, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | | | - Anna Rotander
- MTM Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Kevin Rocco
- MTM Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Giuseppe d'Errico
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Rodrigo Almeda
- EOMAR, ECOAQUA, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Spain
| | - Olalla Alonso
- EOMAR, ECOAQUA, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Spain
| | - Etienne Grau
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LCPO UMR 5629, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - Veronica Piazza
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per lo Studio degli Impatti Antropici e Sostenibilità in ambiente marino (CNR-IAS), Via de Marini 6, 16149, Genova, Italy
| | - Lucia Pittura
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Maura Benedetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Francesco Regoli
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Marco Faimali
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per lo Studio degli Impatti Antropici e Sostenibilità in ambiente marino (CNR-IAS), Via de Marini 6, 16149, Genova, Italy
| | - Francesca Garaventa
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto per lo Studio degli Impatti Antropici e Sostenibilità in ambiente marino (CNR-IAS), Via de Marini 6, 16149, Genova, Italy
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3
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Uguen M, Gaudron SM, Nicastro KR, Zardi GI, Spilmont N, Henry S, Seuront L. The tolerance of a keystone ecosystem engineer to extreme heat stress is hampered by microplastic leachates. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230457. [PMID: 38531416 PMCID: PMC10965334 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Plastic pollution and ongoing climatic changes exert considerable pressure on coastal ecosystems. Unravelling the combined effects of these two threats is essential to management and conservation actions to reduce the overall environmental risks. We assessed the capacity of a coastal ecosystem engineer, the blue mussel Mytilus edulis, to cope with various levels of aerial heat stress (20, 25, 30 and 35°C) after an exposure to substances leached from beached and virgin low-density polyethylene pellets. Our results revealed a significant interaction between temperature and plastic leachates on mussel survival rates. Specifically, microplastic leachates had no effect on mussel survival at 20, 25 and 30°C. In turn, mussel survival rates significantly decreased at 35°C, and this decrease was even more significant following an exposure to leachates from beached pellets; these pellets had a higher concentration of additives compared to the virgin ones, potentially causing a bioenergetic imbalance. Our results stress the importance of adopting integrated approaches combining the effects of multiple environmental threats on key marine species to understand and mitigate their potential synergistic effects on ecosystem dynamics and resilience in the face of the changing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Uguen
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station marine de Wimereux, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Sylvie M. Gaudron
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station marine de Wimereux, 59000 Lille, France
- Sorbonne Université, UFR 927, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Katy R. Nicastro
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station marine de Wimereux, 59000 Lille, France
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
- CCMAR–Centro de Ciencias do Mar, CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro 8005-139, Portugal
| | - Gerardo I. Zardi
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
- Laboratoire de Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA), Université de Caen-Normandie, MNHN, SU, UA, CNRS, IRD, Esplanade de la paix, 14032 Caen Cedex, France
| | - Nicolas Spilmont
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station marine de Wimereux, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Solène Henry
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station marine de Wimereux, 59000 Lille, France
| | - Laurent Seuront
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station marine de Wimereux, 59000 Lille, France
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
- Department of Marine Resources and Energy, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan
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4
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Zardi GI, Nicastro KR, Truong SL, Decorse P, Nozak S, Chevillot-Biraud A, Froneman PW, Akoueson F, Duflos G, Seuront L. Microplastic leachates inhibit small-scale self-organization in mussel beds. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 914:169816. [PMID: 38181965 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Self-organized spatial patterns are increasingly recognized for their contribution to ecosystem functioning. They can improve the ecosystem's ability to respond to perturbation and thus increase its resilience to environmental stress. Plastic pollution has now emerged as major threat to aquatic and terrestrial biota. Under laboratory conditions, we tested whether plastic leachates from pellets collected in the intertidal can impair small-scale, spatial self-organization and byssal threads production of intertidal mussels and whether the effect varied depending on where the pellets come from. Specifically, leachates originating from plastic pellets collected from relatively pristine and polluted areas respectively impaired and inhibited the ability of mussels to self-organize at small-scale and to produce byssal threads compared to control conditions (i.e., seawater without leaching solution). Limitations to natural self-organizing processes and threads formation may translate to a declined capacity of natural ecosystems to avoid tipping points and to a reduced restoration success of disturbed ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerardo I Zardi
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, Laboratoire Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, UMR 8067 BOREA (CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, UCBN, IRD-207), 14000 Caen, France; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa; CCMAR-CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus Gambelas, Faro 8005-139, Portugal
| | - Katy R Nicastro
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa; CCMAR-CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus Gambelas, Faro 8005-139, Portugal; Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187 LOG, F-59000 Lille, France.
| | - Stéphanie Lau Truong
- Laboratoire ITODYS CNRS UMR7086, Université Paris Diderot, Bâtiment Lavoisier, 75205, France
| | - Philippe Decorse
- Laboratoire ITODYS CNRS UMR7086, Université Paris Diderot, Bâtiment Lavoisier, 75205, France
| | - Sophie Nozak
- Laboratoire ITODYS CNRS UMR7086, Université Paris Diderot, Bâtiment Lavoisier, 75205, France
| | | | | | - Fleurine Akoueson
- Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 1158 BioEcoAgro, EA 7394, Institut Charles Viollette, USC ANSES, INRAe, Univ. Lille, Univ. Artois, Univ. Picardie Jules Verne, Uni. Liège, F-62200 Boulogne-sur-Mer, France; ANSES - Laboratoire de Sécurité des Aliments, Boulevard du Bassin Napoléon, F-62200 Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
| | - Guillaume Duflos
- ANSES - Laboratoire de Sécurité des Aliments, Boulevard du Bassin Napoléon, F-62200 Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
| | - Laurent Seuront
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa; Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187 LOG, F-59000 Lille, France; Department of Marine Resources and Energy, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
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5
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Cozzolino L, Nicastro KR, Hubbard PC, Seuront L, McQuaid CD, Zardi GI. Intraspecific genetic lineages of a marine mussel show behavioural divergence when exposed to microplastic leachates. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 340:122779. [PMID: 37863252 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Worldwide, microplastic pollution has numerous negative implications for marine biota, exacerbating the effects of other forms of global anthropogenic disturbance. Mounting evidence shows that microplastics (MPs) not only cause physical damage through their ingestion, but also act as vectors for hazardous compounds by leaching absorbed and adsorbed chemicals. Research on the effects of plastic pollution has, however, largely assumed that species respond uniformly, while ignoring intraspecific diversity (i.e., variation within a single species). We investigated the effects of plastic leachates derived from factory-fresh (virgin) and beached microplastics on the behavioural responses of two genetic lineages of the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Through laboratory behavioural experiments, we found that during exposure to leachates from beached microplastics (beached MPLs), Atlantic specimens moved significantly less than Mediterranean individuals in terms of both (i) proportion of individuals responding through movement and (ii) net and gross distances crawled. In contrast, no significant intraspecific differences were observed in the behaviour of either adults or recruits when exposed to MPLs from virgin microplastics (virgin MPLs). Additionally, the reception of cues from three amino acids (L-cysteine, proline and L-leucine) at increasing concentrations (10-5 M to 10-3 M in charcoal-filtered seawater) was tested by electrophysiological analysis using mussels exposed to beached MPLs or control seawater. We found significant intraspecific differences in response to 10-3 M L-cysteine (regardless of treatment) and 10-4 M L-cysteine (in mussels exposed to beached MPLs) and to 10-3 M proline (in mussels exposed to beached MPLs) and 10-5 M L-leucine. Our study suggests that intraspecific variation in a marine mussel may prompt different responses to plastic pollution, potentially triggered by local adaptation and physiological variability between lineages. Our work highlights the importance of assessing the effects of intraspecific variation, especially in environmental sentinel species as this level of diversity could modulate responses to plastic pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Cozzolino
- CCMAR-Centro de Ciências do Mar, CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, 8005-139, Portugal.
| | - Katy R Nicastro
- CCMAR-Centro de Ciências do Mar, CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, 8005-139, Portugal; Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F-59000, Lille, France; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
| | - Peter C Hubbard
- CCMAR-Centro de Ciências do Mar, CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, 8005-139, Portugal
| | - Laurent Seuront
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F-59000, Lille, France; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa; Department of Marine Resources and Energy, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108- 8477, Japan
| | - Christopher D McQuaid
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
| | - Gerardo I Zardi
- CCMAR-Centro de Ciências do Mar, CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, 8005-139, Portugal; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa; Normandie Université, UNICAEN, Laboratoire Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, UMR 8067 BOREA (CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, UCBN, IRD-207), CS 14032, 14000, Caen, France
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6
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Weis JS, Alava JJ. (Micro)Plastics Are Toxic Pollutants. TOXICS 2023; 11:935. [PMID: 37999586 PMCID: PMC10675727 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11110935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Plastics, including microplastics, have generally been regarded as harmful to organisms because of their physical characteristics. There has recently been a call to understand and regard them as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. This review elaborates on the reasons that microplastics in particular should be considered as "toxic pollutants". This view is supported by research demonstrating that they contain toxic chemicals within their structure and also adsorb additional chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), from the environment. Furthermore, these chemicals can be released into tissues of animals that consume microplastics and can be responsible for the harmful effects observed on biological processes such as development, physiology, gene expression, and behavior. Leachates, weathering, and biofilm play important roles in the interactions between microplastics and biota. Global policy efforts by the United Nations Environmental Assembly via the international legally binding treaty to address global plastic pollution should consider the designation of harmful plastics (e.g., microplastics) with associated hazardous chemicals as toxic pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith S. Weis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Juan José Alava
- Ocean Pollution Research Unit & Nippon Foundation-Ocean Litter Project, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z4, Canada;
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7
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Abd Elkader HTAE, Al-Shami AS. Chronic exposure to bisphenol A induces behavioural, neurochemical, histological, and ultrastructural alterations in the ganglia tissue of the date mussels Lithophaga lithophaga. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:109041-109062. [PMID: 37768489 PMCID: PMC10622395 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-29853-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA), a common plastic additive, has been demonstrated mechanistically to be a potential endocrine disruptor and to affect a variety of body functions in organisms. Although previous research has shown that BPA is toxic to aquatic organisms, the mechanism of neurotoxic effects in marine bivalves remains unknown. The current study aimed to elucidate the neurotoxic effects of BPA when administered at different concentrations (0.25, 1, 2, and 5 µg/L) for twenty-eight days in the ganglia of a bivalve model, the Mediterranean mussel (Lithophaga lithophaga), which is an ecologically and economically important human food source of bivalve species in the Mediterranean Sea. Our findings revealed an increase in behavioural disturbances and malondialdehyde levels in treated mussel ganglia compared to the control group. Furthermore, superoxide dismutase activity increased in the ganglia of L. lithophaga treated with 0.25 and 2 µg/L. However, at BPA concentrations of 1 and 5 µg/L, SOD activity was significantly reduced, as was total glutathione concentration. BPA causes neurotoxicity, as evidenced by concentration-dependent inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, dopamine, and serotonin. After chronic exposure to BPA, neurons showed distortion of the neuronal cell body and varying degrees of pyknosis. The ultrastructure changes in BPA-treated groups revealed the lightening of the nucleoplasm and a shrunken nuclear envelope. Overall, our findings suggest that BPA exposure altered antioxidation, neurochemical biomarkers, histopathological, and ultrastructural properties, resulting in behavioural changes. As a result, our findings provide a basis for further study into the toxicity of BPA in marine bivalves.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahmed S Al-Shami
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
- Biotechnology Department, Institute of Graduate Studies and Research, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
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8
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Nicastro KR, Pearson GA, Ramos X, Pearson V, McQuaid CD, Zardi GI. Transcriptome wide analyses reveal intraspecific diversity in thermal stress responses of a dominant habitat-forming species. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5645. [PMID: 37024658 PMCID: PMC10079687 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32654-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The impact of climate change on biodiversity has stimulated the need to understand environmental stress responses, particularly for ecosystem engineers whose responses to climate affect large numbers of associated organisms. Distinct species differ substantially in their resilience to thermal stress but there are also within-species variations in thermal tolerance for which the molecular mechanisms underpinning such variation remain largely unclear. Intertidal mussels are well-known for their role as ecosystem engineers. First, we exposed two genetic lineages of the intertidal mussel Perna perna to heat stress treatments in air and water. Next, we ran a high throughput RNA sequencing experiment to identify differences in gene expression between the thermally resilient eastern lineage and the thermally sensitive western lineage. We highlight different thermal tolerances that concord with their distributional ranges. Critically, we also identified lineage-specific patterns of gene expression under heat stress and revealed intraspecific differences in the underlying transcriptional pathways in response to warmer temperatures that are potentially linked to the within-species differences in thermal tolerance. Beyond the species, we show how unravelling within-species variability in mechanistic responses to heat stress promotes a better understanding of global evolutionary trajectories of the species as a whole in response to changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katy R Nicastro
- CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Univ. Lille, 59000, Lille, France
- CCMAR-CIMAR - Associated Laboratory, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
| | - Gareth A Pearson
- CCMAR-CIMAR - Associated Laboratory, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
| | - Xana Ramos
- CCMAR-CIMAR - Associated Laboratory, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
| | - Vasco Pearson
- CCMAR-CIMAR - Associated Laboratory, University of Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal
- Department of Mathematics, Instituto Superior Técnico, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Christopher D McQuaid
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
| | - Gerardo I Zardi
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa.
- UNICAEN, Laboratoire Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, UMR 8067 BOREA (CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, UCBN, IRD-207), Normandie Université, CS 14032, 14000, Caen, France.
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9
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Rios-Fuster B, Alomar C, Deudero S. Elucidating the consequences of the co-exposure of microplastics jointly to other pollutants in bivalves: A review. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 216:114560. [PMID: 36270530 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The marine environment has numerous impacts related to anthropogenic activities including pollution. Abundances of microplastics (MPs) and other pollutants are continuously increasing in the marine environment, resulting in a complex mixture of contaminants affecting biota. In order to understand the consequences, a review of studies analyzing combined effects of MPs and other types of pollutants in bivalves has been conducted as species in this group have been considered as sentinel and bioindicators. Regarding studies reviewed, histological analyses give evidence that MPs can be located in the haemolymph, gills and gonads, as well as in digestive glands in the intestinal lumen, epithelium and tubules, demonstrating that the entire body of bivalves is affected by MPs. Moreover, DNA strand breaks represent the most relevant form of damage caused by the enhanced production of reactive oxygen species in response to MPs exposure. The role of MPs as vectors of pollutants and the ability of polymers to adsorb different compounds have also been considered in this review highlighting a high variability of results. In this sense, toxic impacts associated to MPs exposure were found to significantly increase with the co-presence of antibiotics or petroleum hydrocarbons amongst other pollutants. In addition, bioaccumulation processes of pollutants (PAHs, metals and others) have been affected by the co-presence with MPs. Histological, genetic and physiological alterations are the most reported damages, and the degree of harm seems to be correlated with the concentration and size of MP and with the type of pollutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Rios-Fuster
- Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
| | - Carme Alomar
- Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Salud Deudero
- Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares (IEO, CSIC), Muelle de Poniente s/n, 07015, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
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10
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Cozzolino L, Nicastro KR, Seuront L, McQuaid CD, Zardi GI. The relative effects of interspecific and intraspecific diversity on microplastic trapping in coastal biogenic habitats. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 848:157771. [PMID: 35926622 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding of how anthropogenic stressors such as climate change and plastic pollution interact with biodiversity is being widened to include diversity below the species level, i.e., intraspecific variation. The emerging appreciation of the key ecological importance of intraspecific diversity and its potential loss in the Anthropocene, further highlights the need to assess the relative importance of intraspecific versus interspecific diversity. One such issue is whether a species responds as a homogenous whole to plastic pollution. Using manipulative field transplant experiments and laboratory-controlled hydrodynamic simulations, we assessed the relative effects of intraspecific and interspecific diversity on microplastic trapping in coastal biogenic habitats dominated by two key bioengineers, the brown intertidal macroalgae Fucus vesiculosus and F. guiryi. At the individual level, northern morphotypes of F. guiryi trapped more microplastics than southern individuals, and F. vesiculosus trapped more microplastics than F. guiryi. Canopy density varied among species, however, leading to reversed patterns of microplastic accumulation, with F. guiryi canopies accumulating more microplastics than those of F. vesiculosus, while no differences were observed between the canopies of F. guiryi morphotypes. We emphasize the importance of assessing the effects of intraspecific variation which, along with other crucial factors such as canopy density, flow velocity and polymer composition, modulates the extent of microplastic accumulation in coastal biogenic habitats. Our findings indicate that a realistic estimation of plastic accumulation in biogenic habitats requires an understanding of within- and between-species traits at both the individual and population levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Cozzolino
- CCMAR-Centro de Ciencias do Mar, CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro 8005-139, Portugal.
| | - Katy R Nicastro
- CCMAR-Centro de Ciencias do Mar, CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro 8005-139, Portugal; Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F-59000 Lille, France; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
| | - Laurent Seuront
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F-59000 Lille, France; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa; Department of Marine Resources and Energy, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan
| | - Christopher D McQuaid
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
| | - Gerardo I Zardi
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa; Normandie Université, UNICAEN, Laboratoire Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, UMR 8067 BOREA (CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, UCBN, IRD-207), CS 14032, 14000 Caen, France
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11
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Seuront L, Zardi GI, Uguen M, Bouchet VMP, Delaeter C, Henry S, Spilmont N, Nicastro KR. A whale of a plastic tale: A plea for interdisciplinary studies to tackle micro- and nanoplastic pollution in the marine realm. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 846:157187. [PMID: 35868387 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Plastic is one of the most ubiquitous sources of both contamination and pollution of the Anthropocene, and accumulates virtually everywhere on the planet. As such, plastic threatens the environment, the economy and human well-being globally. The related potential threats have been identified as a major global conservation issue and a key research priority. As a consequence, plastic pollution has become one of the most prolific fields of research in research areas including chemistry, physics, oceanography, biology, ecology, ecotoxicology, molecular biology, sociology, economy, conservation, management, and even politics. In this context, one may legitimately expect plastic pollution research to be highly interdisciplinary. However, using the emerging topic of microplastic and nanoplastic leachate (i.e., the desorption of molecules that are adsorbed onto the surface of a polymer and/or absorbed into the polymer matrix in the absence of plastic ingestion) in the ocean as a case study, we argue that this is still far from being the case. Instead, we highlight that plastic pollution research rather seems to remain structured in mostly isolated monodisciplinary studies. A plethora of analytical methods are now available to qualify and quantify plastic monomers, polymers and the related additives. We nevertheless show though a survey of the literature that most studies addressing the effects of leachates on marine organisms essentially still lack of a quantitative assessment of the chemical nature and content of both plastic items and their leachates. In the context of the ever-increasing research effort devoted to assess the biological and ecological effects of plastic waste, we subsequently argue that the lack of a true interdisciplinary approach is likely to hamper the development of this research field. We finally introduce a roadmap for future research which has to evolve through the development of a sound and systematic ability to chemically define what we biologically compare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Seuront
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, 62930 Wimereux, France; Department of Marine Energy and Resource, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
| | - Gerardo I Zardi
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
| | - Marine Uguen
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, 62930 Wimereux, France
| | - Vincent M P Bouchet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, 62930 Wimereux, France
| | - Camille Delaeter
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, 62930 Wimereux, France
| | - Solène Henry
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, 62930 Wimereux, France
| | - Nicolas Spilmont
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, 62930 Wimereux, France
| | - Katy R Nicastro
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, 62930 Wimereux, France; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa; CCMAR-Centro de Ciencias do Mar, CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro 8005-139, Portugal
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12
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Uguen M, Nicastro KR, Zardi GI, Gaudron SM, Spilmont N, Akoueson F, Duflos G, Seuront L. Microplastic leachates disrupt the chemotactic and chemokinetic behaviours of an ecosystem engineer (Mytilus edulis). CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 306:135425. [PMID: 35809744 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The massive contamination of the environment by plastics is an increasing global scientific and societal concern. Knowing whether and how these pollutants affect the behaviour of keystone species is essential to identify environmental risks effectively. Here, we focus on the effect of plastic leachates on the behavioural response of the common blue mussel Mytilus edulis, an ecosystem engineer responsible for the creation of biogenic structures that modify the environment and provide numerous ecosystem functions and services. Specifically, we assess the effect of virgin polypropylene beads on mussels' chemotactic (i.e. a directional movement in response to a chemical stimulus) and chemokinetic (i.e. a non-directional change in movement properties such as speed, distance travelled or turning frequency in response to a chemical stimulus) responses to different chemical cues (i.e. conspecifics, injured conspecifics and a predator, the crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus). In the presence of predator cues, individual mussels reduced both their gross distance and speed, changes interpreted here as an avoidance behaviour. When exposed to polypropylene leachates, mussels moved less compared to control conditions, regardless of the cues tested. Additionally, in presence of crab cues with plastic leachates, mussels significantly changed the direction of movement suggesting a leachate-induced loss of their negative chemotaxis response. Taken together, our results indicate that the behavioural response of M. edulis is cue-specific and that its anti-predator behaviour as well as its mobility are impaired when exposed to microplastic leachates, potentially affecting the functioning of the ecosystem that the species supports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Uguen
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F-59000, Lille, France.
| | - Katy R Nicastro
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F-59000, Lille, France; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa; CCMAR-Centro de Ciencias do Mar, CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, 8005-139, Portugal
| | - Gerardo I Zardi
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
| | - Sylvie M Gaudron
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F-59000, Lille, France; Sorbonne Université, UFR 927, F-75005, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Spilmont
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - Fleurine Akoueson
- ANSES - Laboratoire de Sécurité des Aliments, Boulevard du Bassin Napoléon, F-62200, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France; Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 1158 BioEcoAgro, EA 7394, Institut Charles Viollette, USC ANSES, INRAe, Univ. Lille, Univ. Artois, Univ. Picardie Jules Verne, Uni. Liège, F-62200, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
| | - Guillaume Duflos
- ANSES - Laboratoire de Sécurité des Aliments, Boulevard du Bassin Napoléon, F-62200, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
| | - Laurent Seuront
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F-59000, Lille, France; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa; ANSES - Laboratoire de Sécurité des Aliments, Boulevard du Bassin Napoléon, F-62200, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France; Department of Marine Resources and Energy, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8477, Japan
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13
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Joyce PWS, Falkenberg LJ. Microplastics, both non-biodegradable and biodegradable, do not affect the whole organism functioning of a marine mussel. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 839:156204. [PMID: 35623533 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics are ubiquitous in the marine environment, and their uptake by many organisms has been well documented. Concern about increasing plastic waste in ecosystems and organisms has led to the production of biodegradable alternatives. However, long breakdown times of biodegradable plastics in natural environments mean they still have the potential to induce ecological impacts. The impacts of microplastics on organisms remain unclear, especially as many experimental microplastic exposures employ particle concentrations orders of magnitude greater than those found in natural ecosystems. Here, we exposed the ecosystem engineer, the Asian green mussel Perna viridis, to non-biodegradable and biodegradable microplastics at two environmentally relevant concentrations (~17-20 particles L-1 and ~ 135-140 particles L-1). After four weeks of exposure, there were no significant effects of microplastic type or concentration on the mortality, oxygen consumption rate, clearance rate, or condition index of P. viridis. With the increasing body of microplastic literature, future exposure studies considering biotic effects should make efforts to employ environmentally relevant concentrations. Further, we suggest that, while a high-profile threat to ecosystems, investigating the effects of microplastics on ecosystems should be conducted alongside, and not draw focus away from, other major threats such as climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick W S Joyce
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Laura J Falkenberg
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
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14
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Nicastro KR, Seuront L, McQuaid CD, Zardi GI. Symbiont-induced intraspecific phenotypic variation enhances plastic trapping and ingestion in biogenic habitats. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 826:153922. [PMID: 35183637 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plastic contamination has major effects on biodiversity, enhancing the consequences of other forms of global anthropogenic disturbance such as climate change and habitat fragmentation. Despite this and the recognised importance of intraspecific diversity, we still know relatively little about how plastic pollution affects diversity below the species level. Here, we assessed the effects of intraspecific variation in a habitat forming species (the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis) on the trapping and ingestion of microplastics. We focused on symbiont-induced phenotypic variation in mussel beds. Using fractal analysis, we measured an increase in the complexity of mussel bed surfaces by ca. 15% caused by phototropic shell-degrading endoliths. By simulating high tide flow conditions and incoming waves, we found that symbionts significantly increased microplastic accumulation in mussel beds. This likely reflects deceleration of near-bed flow velocities, creation of turbulence in the bottom boundary layer and consequently increased particle retention. This effect was not constant at high tide, with no effect of infestation on retention at the base of the mussel bed under mid and high flow conditions and reduced microplastic trapping on the surface of mussel shells. Nevertheless, under natural conditions, the ingestion and trapping of microplastic were higher by the mussels comprising beds with symbionts than those in beds without symbionts. Given the dependency of many species on mussel biogenic habitats, there is an increased risk of plastics moving up the food chain in mussel beds infested by symbiotic endoliths. Our results highlight how the effects of within-species phenotypic diversity may influence the consequences of rising levels of plastic pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katy R Nicastro
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F-59000 Lille, France; CCMAR-Centro de Ciencias do Mar, CIMAR Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro 8005-139, Portugal; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
| | - Laurent Seuront
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F-59000 Lille, France; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa; Department of Marine Resources and Energy, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan
| | - Christopher D McQuaid
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
| | - Gerardo I Zardi
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
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15
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Delaeter C, Spilmont N, Bouchet VMP, Seuront L. Plastic leachates: Bridging the gap between a conspicuous pollution and its pernicious effects on marine life. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 826:154091. [PMID: 35219681 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
With 4 to 12 million tons of plastic entering the marine environment each year, plastic pollution has become one of the most ubiquitous sources of pollution of the Anthropocene threatening the marine environment. Beyond the conspicuous physical damages, plastics may release a cocktail of harmful chemicals, i.e. monomers, additives and persistent organic pollutants. Although known to be highly toxic, plastic leachates seemingly appear, however, as the "somewhat sickly child" of the plastic pollution literature. We reviewed the only 26 studies investigating the impact of plastic leachates on marine microbes and invertebrates, and concluded that the observed effects essentially depend on the species, polymer type, plastic composition, accumulated contaminants and weathering processes. We identified several gaps that we believe may hamper progress in this emerging area of research and discussed how they could be bridged to further our understanding of the effects of the compounds released by plastic items on marine organisms. We first stress the lack of a consensus on the use of the term 'leachate', and subsequently introduce the concepts of primary and secondary leachates, based on the intrinisic or extrinsic origin of the products released in bulk seawater. We discuss how methodological inconsistencies and the discrepancy between the polymers used in experiments and their abundance in the environment respectively limit comparison between studies and a comprehensive assessment of the effects leachate may actually have in the ocean. We also discuss how the imbalanced in the variety of both organisms and polymers considered, the mostly unrealistic concentrations used in laboratory experiments, and the lack of investigation on key ecosystem engineers may considerably narrow the spectrum of our understanding of the plastic leachates' effects. We finally discuss how increasing multi-disciplinarity through collaborations between different research fields may benefit to an area of research which is still in its early infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Delaeter
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, IRD, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F-59000 Lille, France.
| | - Nicolas Spilmont
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, IRD, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Vincent M P Bouchet
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, IRD, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Laurent Seuront
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, IRD, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187 - LOG - Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F-59000 Lille, France; Department of Marine Resources and Energy, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan; Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
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16
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Sridharan S, Kumar M, Saha M, Kirkham MB, Singh L, Bolan NS. The polymers and their additives in particulate plastics: What makes them hazardous to the fauna? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 824:153828. [PMID: 35157873 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Due to the increasing concerns on global ecosystems and human health, the environmental risks posed by microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) have become an important topic of research. Their ecological impacts on various faunal species have been extensively researched and reviewed. However, the majority of those studies perceive these micro(nano)-plastics (MNPs) as a single entity rather than a collective term for a group of chemically distinct polymeric particulates. Each of the plastic polymers can possess unique physical and chemical behavior, which, in turn, can determine the possible environmental impacts. Furthermore, many studies explore the adsorption, absorption, and release of other environmental pollutants by MNPs. But only a handful of them explore the leaching of additives possessed by these polymers. Data on the environmental behavior and toxicity of individual additives associated with different polymer particulates are scarce. Knowledge about the leachability and ecotoxicity of the additives associated with environmental MNPs (unlike large plastic particles) remains limited. The ecological impacts of different MNPs together with their additives and the basis of their toxicity have not been explored yet. The present review systematically explores the potential implications of environmentally predominant polymers and their associated additives and discusses their physicochemical characteristics. The review ultimately aims to provide novel insights on what components precisely make MNPs hazardous to the fauna. The paper also discusses the major challenges proposed in the available literature along with recommendations for future research to throw light on possible solutions to overcome the hazards of MNPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinidhi Sridharan
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India; CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur 440020, Maharashtra, India
| | - Manish Kumar
- CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur 440020, Maharashtra, India
| | - Mahua Saha
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula 403004, Goa, India
| | - M B Kirkham
- Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States of America
| | - Lal Singh
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India; CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur 440020, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Nanthi S Bolan
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The UWA Institute of Agriculture, M079, Perth, WA 6009, Australia.
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17
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Klein K, Heß S, Schulte-Oehlmann U, Oehlmann J. Locomotor behavior of Neocaridina palmata: a study with leachates from UV-weathered microplastics. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12442. [PMID: 34820186 PMCID: PMC8588861 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Weathering of plastics leads to the formation of increasingly smaller particles with the release of chemical compounds. The latter occurs with currently unknown environmental impacts. Leachate-induced effects of weathered microplastics (MPs) are therefore of increasing concern. To investigate the toxicity of the chemical mixtures from such plastics, we exposed the freshwater shrimp Neocaridina palmata to enriched leachates from unweathered and artificially weathered (UV-A/B light) MPs (≤1 mm) from recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE-R) pellets and from a biodegradable, not fully bio-based starch blend (SB) foil. We analyzed the individual locomotor activity (moved distance and frozen events) on day 1, 3, 7 and 14 of exposure to five leachate concentrations equivalent to 0.40–15.6 g MPs L−1, representing the upper scale of MPs that have been found in the environment. The median moved distance did not change as a function of concentration, except for the unweathered SB treatment on day 14 that indicated hyperactivity with increasing concentrations. Significant impacts were solely detected for few concentrations and exposure days. Generally, no consistent trend was observed across the experiments. We further assessed the baseline toxicity of the samples in the Microtox assay and detected high bioluminescence inhibitions of the bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri. This study demonstrates that neither the recycled nor the biodegradable material are without impacts on test parameters and therefore cannot be seen as safe alternative for conventional plastics regarding the toxicity. However, the observed in vitro toxicity did not result in substantial effects on the behavior of shrimps. Overall, we assume that the two endpoints examined in the atyid shrimp N. palmata were not sensitive to chemicals leaching from plastics or that effects on the in vivo level affect other toxic endpoints which were not considered in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Klein
- Department Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sebastian Heß
- Department Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ulrike Schulte-Oehlmann
- Department Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jörg Oehlmann
- Department Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Capolupo M, Gunaalan K, Booth AM, Sørensen L, Valbonesi P, Fabbri E. The sub-lethal impact of plastic and tire rubber leachates on the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 283:117081. [PMID: 33848903 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ocean contamination by synthetic polymers can represent a risk for the fitness of marine species due to the leaching of chemical additives. This study evaluated the sub-lethal effects of plastic and rubber leachates on the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis through a battery of biomarkers encompassing lysosomal endpoints, oxidative stress/detoxification parameters, and specific responses to metals/neurotoxicants. Mussels were exposed for 7 days to leachates from car tire rubber (CTR), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), containing organic additives and metals in the ng-μg/L range. The leachate exposure affected general stress parameters, including the neutral lipid content (all leachates), the lysosomal membrane stability (PS, PP, PVC and CTR leachates) and lysosomal volume (PP, PVC and TR leachates). An increased content of the lipid peroxidation products malondialdehyde and lipofuscin was observed in mussels exposed to PET, PS and PP leachates, and PP, PVC and CTR leachates, respectively. PET and PP leachates increased the activity of the phase-II metabolism enzyme glutathione S-transferase, while a decreased acetylcholinesterase activity was induced by PVC leachates. Data were integrated in the mussel expert system (MES), which categorizes the organisms' health status based on biomarker responses. The MES assigned healthy status to mussels exposed to PET leachates, low stress to PS leachates, and moderate stress to PP, CTR and PVC leachates. This study shows that additives leached from selected plastic/rubber polymers cause sub-lethal effects in mussels and that the magnitude of these effects may be higher for CTR, PVC and PP due to a higher content and release of metals and organic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Capolupo
- University of Bologna, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Via Sant'Alberto 163, 48123, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Kuddithamby Gunaalan
- University of Bologna, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Via Sant'Alberto 163, 48123, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Andy M Booth
- SINTEF Ocean, Environment and New Resources, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Lisbet Sørensen
- SINTEF Ocean, Environment and New Resources, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Paola Valbonesi
- University of Bologna, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Via Sant'Alberto 163, 48123, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Elena Fabbri
- University of Bologna, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Via Sant'Alberto 163, 48123, Ravenna, Italy.
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Gilman E, Musyl M, Suuronen P, Chaloupka M, Gorgin S, Wilson J, Kuczenski B. Highest risk abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7195. [PMID: 33785766 PMCID: PMC8009918 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86123-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Derelict abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear have profound adverse effects. We assessed gear-specific relative risks from derelict gear to rank-order fishing methods based on: derelict gear production rates, gear quantity indicators of catch weight and fishing grounds area, and adverse consequences from derelict gear. The latter accounted for ghost fishing, transfer of microplastics and toxins into food webs, spread of invasive alien species and harmful microalgae, habitat degradation, obstruction of navigation and in-use fishing gear, and coastal socioeconomic impacts. Globally, mitigating highest risk derelict gear from gillnet, tuna purse seine with fish aggregating devices, and bottom trawl fisheries achieves maximum conservation gains. Locally, adopting controls following a sequential mitigation hierarchy and implementing effective monitoring, surveillance and enforcement systems are needed to curb derelict gear from these most problematic fisheries. Primary and synthesis research are priorities to improve future risk assessments, produce the first robust estimate of global derelict gear quantity, and assess the performance of initiatives to manage derelict gear. Findings from this first quantitative estimate of gear-specific relative risks from derelict gear guide the allocation of resources to achieve the largest improvements from mitigating adverse effects of derelict gear from the world's 4.6 million fishing vessels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Gilman
- The Nature Conservancy, California Oceans Program, Santa Barbara, USA.
| | | | - Petri Suuronen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Milani Chaloupka
- Ecological Modelling Services Pty Ltd & Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Saeid Gorgin
- Department of Fisheries, College of Fisheries and Environment, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgān, Iran
| | - Jono Wilson
- The Nature Conservancy, California Oceans Program, Santa Barbara, USA
- Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, USA
| | - Brandon Kuczenski
- Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, USA
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