Posidonia oceanica as a historical monitor device of lead concentration in marine environment

Improvement of the Ductility of Environmentally Friendly Poly(lactide) Composites with Posidonia oceanica Wastes Plasticized with an Ester of Cinnamic Acid

New composite materials were developed with poly(lactide) (PLA) and Posidonia oceanica fibers through reactive extrusion in the presence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and subsequent injection molding. The effect of different amounts of methyl trans-cinnamate (MTC) on the mechanical, thermal, thermomechanical, and wettability properties was studied. The results showed that the presence of Posidonia oceanica fibers generated disruptions in the PLA matrix, causing a decrease in the tensile mechanical properties and causing an impact on the strength due to the stress concentration phenomenon. Reactive extrusion with DCP improved the PO/PLA interaction, diminishing the gap between the fibers and the surrounding matrix, as corroborated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). It was observed that 20 phr (parts by weight of the MTC, per one hundred parts by weight of the PO/PLA composite) led to a noticeable plasticizing effect, significantly increasing the elongation at break from 7.1% of neat PLA to 31.1%, which means an improvement of 338%. A considerable decrease in the glass transition temperature, from 61.1 °C of neat PLA to 41.6 °C, was also observed. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed a loss of thermal stability of the plasticized composites, mainly due to the volatility of the cinnamate ester, leading to a decrease in the onset degradation temperature above 10 phr MTC.

Comparative assessment of trace element accumulation and biomonitoring in seaweed Ulva lactuca and seagrass Posidonia oceanica

The present research compared the capability of the green seaweed Ulva lactuca and the seagrass Posidonia oceanica to accumulate and biomonitor the levels of six trace elements: Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn. The concentrations of these elements were analyzed in seawater, bottom sediments, U. lactuca thalli and P. oceanica leaves, in four sites of Sicily (Italy) with different levels of pollution. The results showed that P. oceanica is able to accumulate greater concentrations of trace elements compared to U. lactuca. Both species, instead, acted equally as good bioindicators of marine pollution, showing significant correlations with the levels of trace elements in the surrounding environment. The use of P. oceanica and U. lactuca as bioindicators is still limited in biomonitoring programs, and should be further encouraged given the ever-increasing marine pollution.

Seagrass Halophila stipulacea: Capacity of accumulation and biomonitoring of trace elements

This study aimed to shed further light on the capacity of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea to accumulate and biomonitor the elements As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, present in water and sediments. Results showed that the organs of H. stipulacea accumulate different levels of trace elements, whose concentrations decrease mainly in the order of roots>rhizomes>leaves. The seagrass H. stipulacea showed levels of trace elements similar to those found in other Mediterranean seagrasses, e.g. Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa. This study showed that H. stipulacea could act as a promising bioindicator of several elements, present in sediments, including As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn.

Trace elements in Mediterranean seagrasses and macroalgae. A review

This review investigates the current state of knowledge on the levels of the main essential and non-essential trace elements in Mediterranean vascular plants and macroalgae. The research focuses also on the so far known effects of high element concentrations on these marine organisms. The possible use of plants and algae as bioindicators of marine pollution is discussed as well. The presence of trace elements is overall well known in all five Mediterranean vascular plants, whereas current studies investigated element concentrations in only c. 5.0% of all native Mediterranean macroalgae. Although seagrasses and macroalgae can generally accumulate and tolerate high concentrations of trace elements, phytotoxic levels are still not clearly identified for both groups of organisms. Moreover, although the high accumulation of trace elements in seagrasses and macroalgae is considered as a significant risk for the associated food webs, the real magnitude of this risk has not been adequately investigated yet. The current research provides enough scientific evidence that seagrasses and macroalgae may act as effective bioindicators, especially the former for trace elements in sediments, and the latter in seawater. The combined use of seagrasses and macroalgae as bioindicators still lacks validated protocols, whose application should be strongly encouraged to biomonitor exhaustively the presence of trace elements in the abiotic and biotic components of coastal ecosystems.

Trace elements in Mediterranean seagrasses: Accumulation, tolerance and biomonitoring. A review

This study investigated the state of the art on trace elements in Mediterranean seagrasses, and their close environment (seawater and sediment). The analyzed species were Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa, Halophila stipulacea, Zostera marina and Zostera noltei. All these species showed high tolerance to pollution and high capacity of accumulation of trace elements. Seagrasses also showed similar patterns of accumulation: the highest concentrations of As, Hg and Pb were found in the roots, whereas those of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn were found in the leaves. Phytotoxic levels in seagrasses are unknown for most trace elements. The accumulation of trace elements in seagrasses is widely recognized as a risk to the whole food web, but the real magnitude of this risk is still uncertain. Seagrasses are known to act as trace element bioindicators, but this potential is still poorly valued for the creation of biomonitoring networks.

A reassessment of the use of Posidonia oceanica and Mytilus galloprovincialis to biomonitor the coastal pollution of trace elements: New tools and tips

The present study gives a summary using state-of-the-art technology to monitor Posidonia oceanica and Mytilus galloprovincialis as bioindicators of the pollution of the Mediterranean littoral with trace elements (TEs), and discusses their complementarity and specificities in terms of TE bioaccumulation. Furthermore, this study presents two complementary indices, the Trace Element Spatial Variation Index (TESVI) and the Trace Element Pollution Index (TEPI): these indices were shown to be relevant monitoring tools since they led to the ordering of TEs according to the overall spatial variability of their environmental levels (TESVI) and to the relevant comparison of the global TE pollution between monitored sites (TEPI). In addition, this study also discusses some underestimated aspects of P. oceanica and M. galloprovincialis bioaccumulation behaviour, with regard to their life style and ecophysiology. It finally points out the necessity of developing consensual protocols between monitoring surveys in order to publish reliable and comparable results.

The Posidonia oceanica marine sedimentary record: A Holocene archive of heavy metal pollution

The study of a Posidonia oceanica mat (a peat-like marine sediment) core has provided a record of changes in heavy metal abundances (Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr, Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, As and Al) since the Mid-Holocene (last 4470yr) in Portlligat Bay (NW Mediterranean). Metal contents were determined in P. oceanica. Both, the concentration records and the results of principal components analysis showed that metal pollution in the studied bay started ca. 2800yr BP and steadily increased until present. The increase in Fe, Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn and As concentrations since ca. 2800yr BP and in particular during Greek (ca. 2680-2465cal BP) and Roman (ca. 2150-1740cal BP) times shows an early anthropogenic pollution rise in the bay, which might be associated with large- and short-scale cultural and technological development. In the last ca. 1000yr the concentrations of heavy metals, mainly derived from anthropogenic activities, have significantly increased (e.g. from ~15 to 47μg g(-1) for Pb, ~23 to 95μg g(-1) for Zn and ~8 to 228μg g(-1) for As). Our study demonstrates for the first time the uniqueness of P. oceanica meadows as long-term archives of abundances, patterns, and trends of heavy metals during the Late Holocene in Mediterranean coastal ecosystems.

Preparation and characterization of new succinic anhydride grafted Posidonia for the removal of organic and inorganic pollutants

The present work describes the preparation of new chelating materials derived from Posidonia for adsorption of heavy metal ions and dye in aqueous solution. The first part of this report deals with the chemical modification of Posidonia with succinic anhydride. Thus, we have obtained materials with various succinyl groups contents (from 29.8 to 39.2%). The obtained materials were characterized by infrared and CP/MAS (13)C-RMN spectroscopy. The rate of succinyl content of the modified Posidonia was determined by saponification. The second part is devoted to the evaluation of the adsorption capacity of metal ions such as Pb(2+) and dye such as direct red 75 (DR75) for raw and modified Posidonia materials. Two possible ways for the adsorption of these pollutants are studied: adsorption of each pollutant alone onto these supports, and cumulative adsorption of both metal ions and dye on the same supports. In the last case, the pollutant is adsorbed successively from two different solutions. The effects of pollutants concentration, support dose, pH, contact time and temperature on adsorption of each pollutant were evaluated. The results showed that the raw and modified Posidonia show a high capacity for Pb(2+) adsorption. The capacity of modified Posidonia saturated with Pb(2+) to adsorb DR75 was found 147.12 mg g(-1). While the adsorption capacity of the nonsaturated modified Posidonia was equal to 81.63 mg g(-1). The pseudo-second-order model was the best to represent adsorption kinetics of DR75. The pseudo-first-order model would be better for fitting the adsorption kinetic process of Pb(2+) onto raw and modified Posidonia. The adsorption isotherms of Pb(2+) could be described by the Jossens equation model. Any of the tested models can describe the adsorption of DR75 onto the studied materials. These results confirm that the adsorption of DR75 from aqueous solution was multilayer.

Assessment of environmental stress in Parablennius sanguinolentus (Pallas, 1814) of the Sicilian Ionian coast

The blenny Parablennius sanguinolentus was selected as a useful bioindicator of environmental pollution. Chemical parameters in water and sediments from three different sampling sites along the Sicilian Ionian coast were determined and metal concentrations in fish muscle were measured. DNA fragmentation and oxidation in erythrocytes and hepatocytes was determined by the Comet assay and HSP70 expression levels were evaluated in the liver. The results show an increased level of chromium in sediments and high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in water at one site. The bioaccumulation of metals in muscle tissue shows high concentrations of lead in some samples. A high percentage of DNA damage in blood and liver cells, as well as high hepatic levels of HSP70, were found in all the sites. The results demonstrate the usefulness of an integrated chemical and biological approach for the determination of environmental stress.