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Francescangeli F, Ferraro L, Frontalini F, Da Prato S, Rubino F. Exploring the underwater life in transitional environments: Benthic foraminifera, ostracods, and dinoflagellate cysts - Biotic trends and EcoQS assessment in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian sea, southern Italy). MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 198:106545. [PMID: 38749196 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Coastal areas have historically thrived as centers of human activities due to their resources, economic opportunities, and natural allure. The rapid growth of coastal populations has however brought forth a multitude of challenges to tackle, with pollution emerging as a significant and far-reaching issue. Our study focuses on the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Southern Italy), a lagoon-like coastal basin (separated in two sub-basins) that, since decades, has been heavily affected by human activities and aquaculture, leading to environmental deterioration. Although past studies have looked at environmental conditions in the Mar Piccolo from a chemical perspective, the biological component (e.g., biological indicators) has been mostly neglected. In this study, we firstly aim to examine the distribution and diversity of foraminifera, ostracods, and dinoflagellate cysts in December 2016 and compare our findings with data collected in December 2011. Foraminiferal and ostracod communities exhibit similar patterns in the two sampling campaigns, while the communities of encysted dinoflagellates show differences concerning both densities and diversity. Then, we evaluate the Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) using ecological indices. While the indices in the inner basin appear to reflect an actual ecological degradation, they yield conflicting results in the outer basin. In the outer basin, indeed, the indices overestimate the EcoQS. This study highlights the potential of these indices for characterizing the EcoQS but emphasizes the need for improvements in their reliability. This research also contributes to a more holistic understanding of environmental condition in the Mar Piccolo and underscores the importance of integrating biological quality elements into ecosystem management and remediation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Francescangeli
- Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 6, 1700, Fribourg/Freiburg, Switzerland
| | - L Ferraro
- Institute of Marine Sciences, CNR Calata Porta di Massa, 80133, Naples, Italy.
| | - F Frontalini
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, Urbino University, 61029, Urbino, Italy
| | - S Da Prato
- Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, CNR Via Moruzzi 1, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - F Rubino
- Institute for Water Research, CNR, via Roma 3, 74123, Taranto, Italy
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Golikova E, Varfolomeeva MA, Kursheva A, Morgunova I, Aristov D, Renaud PE, Granovitch A, Korsun S. Measuring ecological quality status in low-diversity Arctic intertidal foraminiferal assemblages using a diversity-based index. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 203:116473. [PMID: 38820879 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116473] [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: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
EcoQS assessment of the marine intertidal zone based on its fauna is challenging because the assemblages have a low diversity and consist of stress tolerant species. The new approach we propose is to pool foraminiferal diversity (effective number of species exp(H'bc)) across the whole intertidal zone including the salt marsh and tidal flat. In seven fjordheads studied in northern Fennoscandia, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations indicated low levels of pollution (EcoQSPAH Excellent to Moderate). Jadammina or Balticammina dominated the salt marsh, Elphidium albiumbilicatum, Elphidium williamsoni, Elphidium clavatum, and Buccella frigida occurred in the tidal flat. Ovammina opaca thrived in both belts. While foraminiferal test abnormalities are often proposed to measure pollution impacts, we did not detect any correlation with PAHs. EcoQS based on foraminiferal diversity (EcoQSforam Excellent to Good) matched EcoQS based on PAHs suggesting that pooled foraminiferal diversity reliably measures intertidal EcoQS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Golikova
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia.
| | - Marina A Varfolomeeva
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Anna Kursheva
- Academician I.S. Gramberg All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean (FSBI "VNIIOkeangeologia"), 190121, Angliyskiy Av. 1, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Inna Morgunova
- Academician I.S. Gramberg All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean (FSBI "VNIIOkeangeologia"), 190121, Angliyskiy Av. 1, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Dmitry Aristov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya emb. 1, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Paul E Renaud
- Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and Environment, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Andrei Granovitch
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Sergei Korsun
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nakhimovskiy pr. 36, 117997 Moscow, Russia
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Damasceno FL, Alves Martins MV, Frontalini F, Pawlowski J, Cermakova K, Angeles IB, Costa Santos LG, Filho JGM, Francescangeli F, Senez-Mello TM, Castelo WFL, Rebouças RC, Duleba W, Mello E Sousa SHD, Laut L, Antonioli L. Assessment of the ecological quality status of the Sepetiba Bay (SE Brazil): When metabarcoding meets morphology on foraminifera. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 195:106340. [PMID: 38232436 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106340] [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: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, the region surrounding Sepetiba Bay (SB; SE Brazil) has become a hub of intense urban expansion and economic exploitation in response to ore transport and industrial and port activities. As a result, contaminants have been introduced into the bay, leading to an overall worsening of the environmental quality. The present work applies for the first time a foraminiferal morphology-based approach (M) and eDNA-based metabarcoding sequencing (G), along with geochemical data to assess the ecological quality status (EcoQS) in the SB. Principal component analysis shows that the eDNA and morphospecies diversity as well as most of the taxa relative abundance decline in response to the environmental stress (ES) gradient related to total organic carbon (TOC) and metal pollution. Based on ecological indices, Exp(H'bc) (G), Exp(H'bc) (M), foraminifera ATZI marine biotic index (Foram-AMBI), Foram Stress Index (FSI), and geochemical indices (TOC and Potential Ecological Risk Index), the lowest values of EcoQS (i.e., bad to moderate) are inferred in the innermost part of the SB. Despite minor discrepancies among the six EcoQS indices, an agreement has been found for 63% of the stations. To improve the agreement between the ecological indices, it is necessary to fill the gap in species ecology; information on the ecology of many species is still unknown. This work reinforces the importance of molecular analysis and morphological methods in environmental impact studies and confirms the reliability of foraminiferal metabarcoding in EcoQS assessment. This is the first study evaluating the EcoQS in the South Atlantic by using combined foraminiferal eDNA metabarcoding with morphological data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrício Leandro Damasceno
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, CEP: 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Maria Virgínia Alves Martins
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, CEP: 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade de Aveiro, GeoBioTec, Departamento de Geociências, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029, Urbino, Italy.
| | - Jan Pawlowski
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; ID-Gene ecodiagnostics, Chemin du Pont-du-Centenaire 109, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland; Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 81-712 Sopot, Poland.
| | - Kristina Cermakova
- ID-Gene ecodiagnostics, Chemin du Pont-du-Centenaire 109, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland.
| | - Inès Barrenechea Angeles
- Department of Geosciences, The Arctic University of Norway, Dramsvegen 201, N-9037, Tromsø, Norway.
| | | | | | - Fabio Francescangeli
- Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 6, 1700 Fribourg/Freiburg, Switzerland.
| | - Thaise M Senez-Mello
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, CEP: 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Federal Fluminense University (UFF), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Wellen Fernanda Louzada Castelo
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, CEP: 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Renata Cardia Rebouças
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, CEP: 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Wania Duleba
- Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo. Rua Arlindo Bettio, 1000, Vila Guaraciaba, São Paulo - SP, Brazil.
| | - Silvia Helena de Mello E Sousa
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo (IOUSP). Address: Pça. do Oceanográfico, 191, Butantã, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Lazaro Laut
- Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UNIRIO, Av. Pasteur 458, s. 500, Urca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Luzia Antonioli
- Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, CEP: 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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