Contamination of planktonic food webs in the Mediterranean Sea: Setting the frame for the MERITE-HIPPOCAMPE oceanographic cruise (spring 2019).

This paper looks at experiential feedback and the technical and scientific challenges tied to the MERITE-HIPPOCAMPE cruise that took place in the Mediterranean Sea in spring 2019. This cruise proposes an innovative approach to investigate the accumulation and transfer of inorganic and organic contaminants within the planktonic food webs. We present detailed information on how the cruise worked, including 1) the cruise track and sampling stations, 2) the overall strategy, based mainly on the collection of plankton, suspended particles and water at the deep chlorophyll maximum, and the separation of these particles and planktonic organisms into various size fractions, as well as the collection of atmospheric deposition, 3) the operations performed and material used at each station, and 4) the sequence of operations and main parameters analysed. The paper also provides the main environmental conditions that were prevailing during the campaign. Lastly, we present the types of articles produced based on work completed by the cruise that are part of this special issue.

Comparative study on the antibiotic susceptibility and plasmid profiles of Vibrio alginolyticus strains isolated from four Tunisian marine biotopes.

The antibiotic resistance patterns and the plasmids profiles of the predominant etiological agent responsible for vibriosis in Tunisia, V. alginolyticus were studied to contribute to control their spread in some Mediterranean aquaculture farms and seawater. The sixty-nine V. alginolyticus strains isolated from different marine Tunisian biotopes (bathing waters, aquaculture and conchylicole farms and a river connected to the seawater during the cold seasons) were multi-drug resistant with high resistance rate to ampicillin, kanamycin, doxycyclin, erythromycin, imipinem, and nalidixic acid. The multiple resistance index ranged from 0.3 to 0.7 for the isolates of Khenis, from 0.5 to 0.8 for those of Menzel Jmil, from 0.5 to 0.75 (Hergla) and from 0.3 to 0.7 for the isolates of Oued Soltane. The high value of antibiotic resistance index was recorded for the V. alginolyticus population isolated from the fish farm in Hergla (ARI = 0.672) followed by the population isolated from the conchylicole station of Menzel Jmil (ARI = 0.645). The results obtained by the MIC tests confirmed the resistance of the V. alginolyticus to ampicillin, erythromycin, kanamycin, cefotaxime, streptomycin and trimethoprim. Plasmids were found in 79.48 % of the strains analyzed and 30 different plasmid profiles were observed. The strains had a high difference in the size of plasmids varying between 0.5 and 45 kb. Our study reveals that the antibiotic-resistant bacteria are widespread in the aquaculture and conchylicole farm relatively to others strains isolated from seawater.

Prokaryotic Diversity and Distribution Along Physical and Nutrient Gradients in the Tunisian Coastal Waters (South Mediterranean Sea).

Prokaryotes play an important role in biogeochemical cycling in marine ecosystems, but little is known about their diversity and composition, and how they may contribute to the ecological functioning of coastal areas in the South Mediterranean Sea. This study investigated bacterial and archaeal community diversity in seawater samples along the Tunisian coast subject to important physicochemical disturbances. The 16S amplicon sequencing survey revealed higher prokaryotic diversity in the northern Tunisian bays than in southeastern waters (Gulf of Gabès). The major taxonomic groups identified in all samples were Alphaproteobacteria (40.9%), Gammaproteobacteria (18.7%), Marine Group II Euryarchaeota (11.3%), and Cyanobacteria (10.9%). Among them, the relative abundance of Alteromonadales, Prochlorococcus, and some clades of Pelagibacterales (SAR11) significantly differed between the northern and the southern bays, whereas no difference was observed across coastal waters in the archaeal Candidatus Poseidoniales (MGII), Synechococcus, and Pelagibacteraceae (SAR11 clade Ia), for which no relationship was observed with the environmental variables. Both Pseudoalteromonas and Alteromonas levels increased with the increasing salinity, density and nutrients (NH4 + and/or PO4 3-) gradients detected toward the southern waters, while the SAR11 clades Ib and IV and Prochlorococcus, decreased in the shallow, salty and nutrient-rich coastal waters of the Gulf of Gabès. Rhodobacteraceae was positively correlated with Synechococcus and chlorophyll levels, suggesting a relationship with phytoplankton biomass. The present study provides the first insights into planktonic prokaryotic community composition in the South Mediterranean Sea through the analysis of Tunisian seawaters, which may support further investigations on the role of bacterioplankton in the biogeochemistry of these ecosystems.

Biofilms in bioremediation and wastewater treatment: characterization of bacterial community structure and diversity during seasons in municipal wastewater treatment process.

The bacterial community structure and diversity were assessed at the scale of rotating biodisk procedure (RB) in a semi-industrial pilot plant. As well, the Salmonella community was particularly monitored, and the effects of ultraviolet (UV-C254) on the bacterial community were studied. The identification of dominant bacteria revealed the presence of beneficial and useful species that could play an important role in the process of wastewater purification. Several species as Enterobacter agglomerans, Cronobacter sakazakii, and Pantoea agglomerans known for their bioremediation activities were revealed in the majority of biofilm samples. Common detection of Salmonella community provides evidence that the RB system did not seriously affect Salmonella. Furthermore, the investigation on the (UV)-C254 inactivation of the whole bacterial community, in secondary treated wastewater, showed variable UV resistance results. No Salmonella detection was registered at a dose of around 1440 mW s cm-2 since a total disappearance of Salmonella was recorded.