Effects of microplastics and mercury in the freshwater bivalve Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774): Filtration rate, biochemical biomarkers and mercury bioconcentration.

The main objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of a mixture of microplastics and mercury on Corbicula fluminea, the post-exposure recovery, and the potential of microplastics to influence the bioconcentration of mercury by this species. Bivalves were collected in the field and acclimated to laboratory conditions for 14 days. Then, a 14-day bioassay was carried out. Bivalves were exposed for 8 days to clean medium (control), microplastics (0.13 mg/L), mercury (30 µg/L) and to a mixture (same concentrations) of both substances. The post-exposure recovery was investigated through 6 additional days in clean medium. After 8 and 14 days, the following endpoints were analysed: the post-exposure filtration rate (FR); the activity of cholinesterase enzymes (ChE), NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), octopine dehydrogenase, catalase, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferases (GST), and the levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO). After 8 days of exposure to mercury, the bioconcentration factors (BCF) were 55 in bivalves exposed to the metal alone and 25 in bivalves exposed to the mixture. Thus, microplastics reduced the bioconcentration of mercury by C. fluminea. Bivalves exposed to microplastics, mercury or to the mixture had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased FR and increased LPO levels, indicating fitness reduction and lipid oxidative damage. In addition, bivalves exposed to microplastics alone had significant (p ≤ 0.05) reduction of adductor muscle ChE activity, indicating neurotoxicity. Moreover, bivalves exposed to mercury alone had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) inhibited IDH activity, suggesting alterations in cellular energy production. Antagonism between microplastics and mercury in FR, ChE activity, GST activity and LPO levels was found. Six days of post-exposure recovery in clean medium was not enough to totally reverse the toxic effects induced by the substances nor to eliminate completely the mercury from the bivalve's body. These findings have implications to animal, ecosystem and human health.

Beta diversity as a tool for determining priority streams for management actions.

Beta diversity has become essential for understanding ecosystem functioning and for determining biodiversity-conservation priority areas. However, the beta diversity patterns of invertebrates in tropical aquatic ecosystems are not well known, particularly in streams. Using data from low-order streams located in southern Brazil, we evaluated the beta diversity of Chironomidae. We tested the hypothesis that increased environmental heterogeneity increases beta diversity. The streams were grouped into two categories, rural and urban, according to the percentage of urbanization in their micro-basins. Our results showed that the heterogeneity of environmental variables can determine the beta diversity of Chironomidae, and the increased environmental heterogeneity caused by differences in the intensity of urbanization impacts can increase the beta diversity in urban streams. Therefore, the intensified impacts of anthropogenic activities in aquatic ecosystems can also increase beta diversity. Finally, we suggested that beta diversity can be an effective tool for not only designing measures and determining priority conservation areas, but also accurately identifying potentially degraded and priority sites that require water management plans.

Single and combined effects of microplastics and mercury on juveniles of the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax): Changes in behavioural responses and reduction of swimming velocity and resistance time.

Microplastics and mercury are environmental pollutants of great concern. The main goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of these pollutants, both individually and in binary mixtures, on the swimming performance of juvenile European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax. Microplastics alone, mercury alone and all the mixtures caused significant reduction of the swimming velocity and resistance time of fish. Moreover, changes in behavioural responses including lethargic and erratic swimming behaviour were observed. These results highlight that fish behavioural responses can be used as sensitive endpoint to establish the effects of contamination by microplastics and also emphasizes the need to assess the combined effects of microplastics and other environmental contaminants, with special attention to the effects on behavioural responses in fish and other aquatic species.

Microplastics increase mercury bioconcentration in gills and bioaccumulation in the liver, and cause oxidative stress and damage in Dicentrarchus labrax juveniles.

The presence of microplastics and several other pollutants in the marine environment is of growing concern. However, the knowledge on the toxicity of mixtures containing microplastics and other contaminants to marine species is still scarce. The main goals of this study were to investigate the oxidative stress and lipid oxidative damage potentially induced by 96 h of exposure to mercury (0.010 and 0.016 mg/L), microplastics (0.26 and 0.69 mg/L), and mixtures of the two substances (same concentrations, full factorial) in the gills and liver of D. labrax juveniles, and the possible influence of microplastics on mercury bioconcentration (gills) and bioaccumulation (liver). The results indicate that the presence of microplastics in the water increased the concentration of mercury in gills and liver of D. labrax juveniles. Microplastics and mercury, alone and in mixtures, caused oxidative stress in both organs. Based on the total induction of antioxidant enzymatic activity, the type of toxicological interaction in fish exposed to the mixture containing the lowest concentration of the two substances was addition in gills, and addition or synergism in the liver. These results stress the need to further address the role of microplastics in the bioconcentration, bioaccumulation, and toxicity of other environmental contaminants in different species.

Marine microplastic debris: An emerging issue for food security, food safety and human health.

Recent studies have demonstrated the negative impacts of microplastics on wildlife. Therefore, the presence of microplastics in marine species for human consumption and the high intake of seafood (fish and shellfish) in some countries cause concern about the potential effects of microplastics on human health. In this brief review, the evidence of seafood contamination by microplastics is reviewed, and the potential consequences of the presence of microplastics in the marine environment for human food security, food safety and health are discussed. Furthermore, challenges and gaps in knowledge are identified. The knowledge on the adverse effects on human health due to the consumption of marine organisms containing microplastics is very limited, difficult to assess and still controversial. Thus, assessment of the risk posed to humans is challenging. Research is urgently needed, especially regarding the potential exposure and associated health risk to micro- and nano-sized plastics.

Microplastics cause neurotoxicity, oxidative damage and energy-related changes and interact with the bioaccumulation of mercury in the European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758).

Microplastics pollution is a global paradigm that raises concern in relation to environmental and human health. This study investigated toxic effects of microplastics and mercury in the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), a marine fish widely used as food for humans. A short-term (96 h) laboratory bioassay was done by exposing juvenile fish to microplastics (0.26 and 0.69 mg/L), mercury (0.010 and 0.016 mg/L) and binary mixtures of the two substances using the same concentrations, through test media. Microplastics alone and mercury alone caused neurotoxicity through acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, increased lipid oxidation (LPO) in brain and muscle, and changed the activities of the energy-related enzymes lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH). All the mixtures caused significant inhibition of brain AChE activity (64-76%), and significant increase of LPO levels in brain (2.9-3.4 fold) and muscle (2.2-2.9 fold) but not in a concentration-dependent manner; mixtures containing low and high concentrations of microplastics caused different effects on IDH and LDH activity. Mercury was found to accumulate in the brain and muscle, with bioaccumulation factors of 4-7 and 25-40, respectively. Moreover, in the analysis of mercury concentrations in both tissues, a significant interaction between mercury and microplastics was found. The decay of mercury in the water increased with microplastics concentration, and was higher in the presence of fish than in their absence. Overall, these results indicate that: microplastics influence the bioaccumulation of mercury by D. labrax juveniles; microplastics, mercury and their mixtures (ppb range concentrations) cause neurotoxicity, oxidative stress and damage, and changes in the activities of energy-related enzymes in juveniles of this species; mixtures with the lowest and highest concentrations of their components induced different effects on some biomarkers. These findings and other published in the literature raise concern regarding high level predators and humans consuming fish being exposed to microplastics and heavy metals, and highlight the need of more research on the topic.

Microplastics in the marine environment: Current trends and future perspectives.

Over the last decade, the presence of microplastics on marine environments has become an important environmental concern and focus of interest of many researches. Thus, to provide a more integrated view of the research trends regarding this topic, we use a scientometric approach to systematically assess and quantify advances in knowledge related to microplastics in the marine environment. The papers that we used for our assessment were obtained from the database Thomson Reuters (ISI Web of Science), between 2004 and 2014. Our results reveal the overall research performance in the study area of microplastics present in the marine environment over the past decade as a newly developed research field. It has been recognized that there are several important issues that should be investigated. Toward that end, based on the suggested directions on all papers reviewed, we point out areas/topics of interest that may guide future work in the coming years.

Partitioning beta diversity of aquatic Oligochaeta in different environments of a Neotropical floodplain / Partição da diversidade beta de Oligochaeta aquático em diferentes ambientes de uma planície de inundação neotropical

We tested the hypothesis that the contribution of the nestedness component is higher in environments with more similar features (lentic or lotic), whereas the contribution of the turnover component is higher in environments with more dissimilar features (lotic vs. lentic). To this end, we partitioned beta diversity of the Oligochaeta community into 12 environments of the Upper Paraná River floodplain. We recorded 986 individuals of 17 taxa. Through Redundancy Analysis, we observed a differentiation between lentic and lotic habitats both by environmental features as species composition. Our hypothesis was partially supported, because in environments with more similar hydrological characteristics, we observed a greater contribution of the nestedness component only in lentic environments, whereas in lotic environments, the turnover component showed a higher value. Moreover, when analyzed the different environments (lentic vs. lotic), we noticed a very similar contribution of both components. Some species were more frequent, as A. pigueti and P. americana, while others were exclusive to some environments (N. bonettoi and H. aedeochaeta). We evidenced the importance of each component in structuring Oligochaeta community, nonetheless, in a different way between environments with more similar (nestedness to lentic and turnover to lotic) or dissimilar (almost the same contribution of both) features.

Nós testamos a hipótese de que a contribuição do componente aninhamento é maior em ambientes com características hidrológicas semelhantes (lênticos ou lóticos), enquanto o componente turnover é maior em ambientes com características mais diferentes (lótico vs. lêntico). Para tal, particionamos a diversidade beta da comunidade de Oligochaeta entre 12 ambientes da planície de inundação do alto rio Paraná. Registramos 986 indivíduos, consistindo em 17 táxons. Por meio da Análise de Redundância, observamos uma diferenciação entre ambientes lênticos e lóticos, tanto pelos fatores ambientais como também pelas espécies. Nossa hipótese foi parcialmente corroborada uma vez que em relação aos ambientes com características mais similares, observamos maior contribuição do componente aninhamento apenas nos ambientes lênticos, enquanto nos ambientes lóticos, o componente turnover foi maior. Ainda, ao analisarmos os ambientes mais diferentes, notamos uma contribuição muito semelhante de ambos os componentes. Algumas espécies foram mais frequentes, como A. pigueti e P. americana, enquanto outras foram exclusivas de alguns ambientes (N. bonettoi e H. aedeochaeta). Nós evidenciamos a importância de cada componente na estruturação da comunidade de Oligochaeta, no entanto, de uma forma diferente entre os ambientes com características mais semelhantes (aninhamento para lênticos e turnover para lóticos) ou diferentes (contribuição semelhante de ambos).