Genotoxic effects of marine pollutants on coastal meso-zooplankton populations - A mini-review.

Meso-zooplankton plays a vital role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems, and some of the taxa provide biological indications for the monitoring of environmental and climate change. Recently, several newly emerging stressors were shown to impact marine and coastal meso-zooplankton in some ways. Marine organisms' genomic core, tightly packed with high-level integrity, can be damaged by anthropogenic activities in coastal zones worldwide and impact their integrity. Genomic integrity loss leads to a cascade of effects on the destruction of the food chain sequences, from primary producers to higher invertebrates. Therefore, monitoring genomic integrity loss using ecotoxicological approaches that focus on genetic changes appears to be a suitable approach. A literature review shows that different stressors severely impact genomic integrity through DNA damage at different concentrations and exposure times. Contaminated sediments also strongly impact the genomic integrity of estuaries and adjacent coastal meso-zooplankton communities.

Morphology and morphometry of morphotypes in the population of Artemia franciscana (Kellogg, 1906) from salterns of the southeastern coast of India.

We document the morphology, morphometric variations among the morphotypes of the brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana. From the samples collected at four different locations in South India, Tamil Nadu viz. Kelambakkam, Vedaranyam, Tuticorin and Nagarcoil we identified six morphotypes: M1, M3, M4 in males and F1, F2, F3 in females. The Scanning electron micrographs of male morphotypes show distinct variation in the basal width, shape and number of cuticular cones on the second antennae. Similarly, the female morphotypes show various shape and sizes of the ovisac with or without spines. However, the cyst surface topography is smooth without any specific variation/ornamentation in all three female morphotypes. Multivariate analysis of eighteen morphological traits measured in males and fifteen in females to elucidate the intraspecific variations among morphotypes indicate significant dissimilarity between males and females. Furthermore, relative length measurements showed distinct morphometric variation of traits between the morphotypes encountered at different sampling sites.

The pre- and postembryonic development of Artemia franciscana (Anostraca: Artemiidae).

Artemia franciscana is a universal live feed in aquaculture, and it has been reported as an invasive species in many Asian hypersaline ecosystems. The present observations illustrated the pre- and postembryonic development stages of the A. franciscana population confined to the Indian saltern of Kelambakkam. We observed their growth patterns during various hydration periods with specific time intervals. Results showed differences in the development stages with respect to unique identity. Interestingly, a period of hydration showed notable cellular movement toward clockwise positions in the hydrating cysts. After 10 h of hydration, blastocoel appeared, accelerating the dynamic route of nuclei movement. At the end of the invagination, the embryo burst out of the cyst, and a sequence of emerging stages was noted. With reference to light microscopic observations, a series of developmental stages were observed, and each instar was documented by developing limb buds of nauplii. Excitingly, the 10th and 11th instar stages reveal sexual differentiation between male and female individuals. Thus, the laboratory culture study clearly documented the different developmental stages with their specific characteristic features. However, further molecular study would provide a cellular basis for understanding the early development of A. franciscana.

Monitoring of genotoxicity in marine zooplankton induced by toxic metals in Ennore estuary, Southeast coast of India.

The present study provides preliminary in-situ data on genetic integrity of marine zooplankton. Paracalanus parvus, Oithona rigida and Euterpina acutifrons were collected during four different seasons (summer, pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon) from 2011 to 2012 in Ennore and Kovalum estuaries. DNA damage levels in different zooplankton were analyzed by comet assay and were correlated with different environmental stressors. Spatial and temporal variations in DNA damage was observed in all the species. Zooplankton from Ennore estuary showed significantly lower genetic integrity. Particulate, sediment, and zooplankton fractions of Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr and Co were associated with high DNA damage during the period of lowest pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen. Zn and Cd showed lower genotoxic impact than the other metals. Feeding modes strongly influenced the genetic integrity in the zooplankton species studied. These results support the use of comet assay as a tool in effectively monitoring genotoxicity in marine plankton communities.