ABSTRACT
Hypertension, a major health concern linked to heart disease and premature mortality, has prompted a search for alternative treatments due to side effects of existing medications. Sustainable harvesting of low-trophic marine organisms not only enhances food security but also provides a variety of bioactive molecules, including peptides. Despite comprising only a fraction of active natural compounds, peptides are ideal for drug development due to their size, stability, and resistance to degradation. Our review evaluates the anti-hypertensive properties of peptides and proteins derived from selected marine invertebrate phyla, examining the various methodologies used and their application in pharmaceuticals, supplements, and functional food. A considerable body of research exists on the anti-hypertensive effects of certain marine invertebrates, yet many species remain unexamined. The array of assessments methods, particularly for ACE inhibition, complicates the comparison of results. The dominance of in vitro and animal in vivo studies indicates a need for more clinical research in order to transition peptides into pharmaceuticals. Our findings lay the groundwork for further exploration of these promising marine invertebrates, emphasizing the need to balance scientific discovery and marine conservation for sustainable resource use.
Subject(s)
Antihypertensive Agents , Aquatic Organisms , Dietary Supplements , Functional Food , Invertebrates , Peptides , Animals , Humans , Antihypertensive Agents/pharmacology , Aquatic Organisms/chemistry , Biological Products/pharmacology , Hypertension/drug therapy , Invertebrates/chemistry , Peptides/analysis , Peptides/pharmacologyABSTRACT
External nutrient loading can cause large changes in freshwater ecosystems. Many local field and laboratory experiments have investigated ecological responses to nutrient addition. However, these findings are difficult to generalize, as the responses observed may depend on the local context and the resulting nutrient concentrations in the receiving water bodies. In this research, we combined and analysed data from 131 experimental studies containing 3054 treatment-control abundance ratios to assess the responses of freshwater taxa along a gradient of elevated nutrient concentrations. We carried out a systematic literature search in order to identify studies that report the abundance of invertebrate, macrophyte, and fish taxa in relation to the addition of nitrogen, phosphorus, or both. Next, we established mixed-effect meta-regression models to relate the biotic responses to the concentration gradients of both nutrients. We quantified the responses based on various abundance-based metrics. We found no responses to the mere addition of nutrients, apart from an overall increase of total invertebrate abundance. However, when we considered the gradients of N and P enrichment, we found responses to both nutrients for all abundance metrics. Abundance tended to increase at low levels of N enrichment, yet decreased at the high end of the concentration gradient (1-10 mg/L, depending on the P concentration). Responses to increasing P concentrations were mostly positive. For fish, we found too few data to perform a meaningful analysis. The results of our research highlight the need to consider the level of nutrient enrichment rather than the mere addition of nutrients in order to better understand broad-scale responses of freshwater biota to eutrophication, as a key step to identify effective conservation strategies for freshwater ecosystems.
Subject(s)
Ecosystem , Invertebrates , Animals , Fresh Water , Biota , Fishes , Nutrients/analysis , Phosphorus/analysis , Nitrogen/analysis , EutrophicationABSTRACT
Aquatic invertebrates play a pivotal role in (eco)toxicological assessments because they offer ethical, cost-effective and repeatable testing options. Additionally, their significance in the food chain and their ability to represent diverse aquatic ecosystems make them valuable subjects for (eco)toxicological studies. To ensure consistency and comparability across studies, international (eco)toxicology guidelines have been used to establish standardised methods and protocols for data collection, analysis and interpretation. However, the current standardised protocols primarily focus on a limited number of aquatic invertebrate species, mainly from Arthropoda, Mollusca and Annelida. These protocols are suitable for basic toxicity screening, effectively assessing the immediate and severe effects of toxic substances on organisms. For more comprehensive and ecologically relevant assessments, particularly those addressing long-term effects and ecosystem-wide impacts, we recommended the use of a broader diversity of species, since the present choice of taxa exacerbates the limited scope of basic ecotoxicological studies. This review provides a comprehensive overview of (eco)toxicological studies, focusing on major aquatic invertebrate taxa and how they are used to assess the impact of chemicals in diverse aquatic environments. The present work supports the use of a broad-taxa approach in basic environmental assessments, as it better represents the natural populations inhabiting various ecosystems. Advances in omics and other biochemical and computational techniques make the broad-taxa approach more feasible, enabling mechanistic studies on non-model organisms. By combining these approaches with in vitro techniques together with the broad-taxa approach, researchers can gain insights into less-explored impacts of pollution, such as changes in population diversity, the development of tolerance and transgenerational inheritance of pollution responses, the impact on organism phenotypic plasticity, biological invasion outcomes, social behaviour changes, metabolome changes, regeneration phenomena, disease susceptibility and tissue pathologies. This review also emphasises the need for harmonised data-reporting standards and minimum annotation checklists to ensure that research results are findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR), maximising the use and reusability of data. The ultimate goal is to encourage integrated and holistic problem-focused collaboration between diverse scientific disciplines, international standardisation organisations and decision-making bodies, with a focus on transdisciplinary knowledge co-production for the One-Health approach.
Subject(s)
Arthropods , Ecosystem , Animals , Humans , InvertebratesABSTRACT
Research on the Awash River focused on the upper section, while the middle and lower regions received little attention. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of anthropogenic activities on the upper and middle Awash River. The study took place in nine sampling locations in dry and wet seasons from September 2021 to April 2022 using a multi-habitat sampling approach. We used macroinvertebrate metrics, environmental variables, and multivariate analysis to evaluate ecological health. The highest concentrations of NO3, soluble reactive phosphorus, and total phosphorus (0.50-0.93 mg L-1) were recorded at the river-mouth of the upper Awash, while the locations below Metehara had the lowest levels of dissolved oxygen (1.81-2.33 mg L-1). Redundancy analysis indicated that dissolved oxygen, NH3, temperature, NO2, pH, TSS, NO3, and TDS influenced macroinvertebrate distribution. The presence of the sensitive groups Caenidae, Hydropsychidae, Heptageniidae, and Aeshnidae at upstream sites indicated better ecological conditions. The middle and downstream sites supported moderately tolerant and tolerant taxa demonstrating water quality impairment. The lowest Ethiopian biotic score was recorded at the river-mouth of the upper Awash. The study sites below Metehara demonstrated severe ecological impairment since highly tolerant taxa were abundant and had strong correlations with temperature, TSS, and TDS levels. Pollutants from agricultural farms and domestic and industrial wastes from Addis Ababa, Metehara, and Merti towns most likely affect the impaired sites. This study demonstrated that the middle Awash experienced substantial ecological deterioration, indicating the need for restoration works to fit the water for socio-economic development.
Subject(s)
Environmental Monitoring , Invertebrates , Animals , Ethiopia , Ecosystem , Oxygen , PhosphorusABSTRACT
Metamorphosis is a critical process in the life cycle of most marine benthic invertebrates, determining their transition from plankton to benthos. It affects dispersal and settlement and therefore decisively influences the dynamics of marine invertebrate populations. An extended period of metamorphic competence is an adaptive feature of numerous invertebrate species that increases the likelihood of finding a habitat suitable for settlement and survival. We found that crude oil and residues of burnt oil rapidly induce metamorphosis in two different marine invertebrate larvae, a previously unknown sublethal effect of oil pollution. When exposed to environmentally realistic oil concentrations, up to 84% of tested echinoderm larvae responded by undergoing metamorphosis. Similarly, up to 87% of gastropod larvae metamorphosed in response to burnt oil residues. This study demonstrates that crude oil and its burned residues can act as metamorphic inducers in marine planktonic larvae, short-circuiting adaptive metamorphic delay. Future studies on molecular pathways and oil-bacteria-metamorphosis interactions are needed to fully understand the direct or indirect mechanisms of oil-induced metamorphosis in marine invertebrates. With 90% of chronic oiling occurring in coastal areas, this previously undescribed impact of crude oil on planktonic larvae may have global implications for marine invertebrate populations and biodiversity.
Subject(s)
Petroleum , Animals , Petroleum/toxicity , Invertebrates/physiology , Metamorphosis, Biological , Ecosystem , Life Cycle Stages , Larva/metabolismABSTRACT
Bacteria are important mediators of the larval transition from pelagic to benthic environments for marine organisms. Bacteria can therefore dictate species distribution and success of an individual. Despite the importance of marine bacteria to animal ecology, the identity of inductive microbes for many invertebrates are unknown. Here, we report the first successful isolation of bacteria from natural substrates capable of inducing settlement and metamorphosis of the planula larvae stage of a true jellyfish, the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana. Inductive bacteria belonged to multiple phyla, with various capacity to induce settlement and metamorphosis. The most inductive isolates belonged to the genus Pseudoalteromonas, a marine bacterium known to induce the pelago-benthic transition in other marine invertebrates. In sequencing the genome of the isolated Pseudoalteromonas and a semiinductive Vibrio, we found biosynthetic pathways previously implicated in larval settlement were absent in Cassiopea inducing taxa. We instead identified other candidate biosynthetic gene clusters involved in larval metamorphosis. These findings could provide hints to the ecological success of C. xamachana compared to sympatric congeneric species within mangrove environments and provide avenues to investigate the evolution of animal-microbe interactions. IMPORTANCE The pelagic to benthic transition for the larvae of many marine invertebrate species are thought to be triggered by microbial cues. The microbial species and exact cue that initiates this transition remains unknown for many animals. Here, we identify two bacterial species, a Pseudoalteromonas and a Vibrio, isolated from natural substrate that induce settlement and metamorphosis of the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana. Genomic sequencing revealed both isolates lacked genes known to induce the life history transition in other marine invertebrates. Instead, we identified other gene clusters that may be important for jellyfish settlement and metamorphosis. This study is the first step to identifying the bacterial cue for C. xamachana, an ecologically important species to coastal ecosystems and an emerging model system. Understanding the bacterial cues provides insight into marine invertebrate ecology and evolution of animal-microbe interactions.
Subject(s)
Ecosystem , Scyphozoa , Animals , Larva , Invertebrates , Genomics , Bacteria/metabolismABSTRACT
While meta-analyses are common in the health and some biological sciences, there is a lack of such analyses for petroleum-related marine research. Oil is a highly complex substance consisting of thousands of different compounds. Measurement limitations, different protocols and a lack of standards in recording and reporting various elements of laboratory experiments impede attempts to homogenize and compare data and identify trends. Nevertheless, oil toxicology research would benefit from meta-analyses, through which we could develop meaningful research questions and design robust experiments. Here we report findings from an effort to quantitatively summarize results from oil toxicology studies on arctic and subarctic marine invertebrates. We discovered that the vast majority of studies was conducted on crustaceans, followed by molluscs. Analyzing the sensitivity of response measures across taxa we found that the most sensitive responses tend to rank low in ecological relevance, while less sensitive response measures tend to be more ecologically relevant. We further uncovered that crustaceans appear to be more sensitive to mechanically dispersed than chemically dispersed oil while the opposite seems true for molluscs, albeit not statistically significant. Both crustaceans and molluscs show a higher sensitivity to fresh than to weathered oil. No differences in the sensitivities of crustacean life stages were found. However, due to a lack of data, many questions remain unanswered. Our study revealed that while trends in responses can be elucidated, heterogeneous experimental protocols and reporting regimes prevent a proper meta-analysis.
Subject(s)
Petroleum Pollution , Petroleum , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Animals , Petroleum/toxicity , Arctic Regions , Aquatic Organisms , Invertebrates , Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicity , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysisABSTRACT
The belowground community structure of soil biota depends on plant composition and may be affected by invasive plant species. We hypothesized that the type of land restoration method applied affects the abundance and composition of soil invertebrates. Our field experiment centred on Solidago species control using different seed mixtures and methods of seed introduction (sowing mixtures: grasses, grasses with legumes, seeds from a seminatural meadow, and application of fresh hay) and different frequencies of mowing (one, two, or three times per year). Soil invertebrates were identified to the taxa, using light microscopes. Richness and diversity indices were calculated, and a redundancy analysis was conducted. Generally, mowing intensity negatively influenced soil organisms, although increased mowing frequency positively affected the abundance of some taxa (Symphyla, Hemiptera). Mowing twice per year decreased the abundance of soil invertebrates, but not their diversity. Soil invertebrate taxa had the greatest abundance in the plots sown with a seed mixture containing grasses with legumes. Among the restoration methods studied, mowing once a year and introducing grasses with legumes represented the least harmful strategy with regard to soil invertebrate abundance. Further studies are needed to investigate the dynamics of soil mesofauna exposed to long-term mowing and changes in vegetation characteristics.
Subject(s)
Fabaceae , Solidago , Animals , Biodiversity , Ecosystem , Introduced Species , Invertebrates , Poaceae , SoilABSTRACT
Reference conditions for river bioassessment should be established inside ecoregions. Our objectives were (1) to implement a bioassessment methodology for Uruguayan prairie streams regarding ecoregions and land use and (2) to assess the ecological integrity of streams of the Río Negro basin in Uruguay. Due to logistical constraints, sampling was divided into two collection trips: one including the upper basin in fall 2015 and the other including the lower basin in spring 2016. Basins were analyzed separately due to seasonal and geographical differences. In the streams sampled in fall 2015, conductivity, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) were higher in sedimentary ecoregions than in crystalline ones, independent on land use. In those sampled in spring 2016, these variables showed the highest values in the ecoregions dominated by agriculture. Eighty percent of the sampled streams presented the impact of cattle in their riparian zone. Discriminant analysis showed a similar composition of macroinvertebrates among ecoregions in 2015, but different composition between land uses. Conversely, in 2016, there were differences among some ecoregions, but not between land uses. Agriculture was correlated with tolerant invertebrates, while natural land use and afforestation were correlated with sensitive ones. The BMWP-Colombia showed the impact of livestock on streams, but in general good water quality, while an index of genera for Uruguay, indicated that all streams are eutrophic, thereby confirming the importance of using different types of metrics. Due to its geographical homogeneity and small size, a smaller number of ecoregions could be defined for stream assessments in the Río Negro basin.
Subject(s)
Environmental Monitoring , Rivers , Animals , Cattle , Environmental Monitoring/methods , Invertebrates , Phosphorus/analysis , Rivers/chemistry , Water QualityABSTRACT
Sea cucumbers are considered a luxury food item and used locally in traditional medication due to their impressive nutritional profile and curative effects. Sea cucumbers contain a wide range of bioactive compounds, namely phenolics, polysaccharides, proteins (collagen and peptides), carotenoids, and saponins, demonstrating strong antioxidant and other activities. In particular, phenolic compounds, mainly phenolic acids and flavonoids, are abundant in this marine invertebrate and exhibit antioxidant activity. Protein hydrolysates and peptides obtained from sea cucumbers exhibit antioxidant potential, mainly dependent on the amino acid compositions and sequences as well as molecular weight, displayed for those of ≤20 kDa. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of sea cucumber polysaccharides, including fucosylated chondroitin sulfate and fucan, is a combination of numerous factors and is mostly associated with molecular weight, degree of sulfation, and type of major sugars. However, the activity of these bioactive compounds typically depends on the sea cucumber species, harvesting location, food habit, body part, and processing methods employed. This review summarizes the antioxidant activity of bioactive compounds obtained from sea cucumbers and their by-products for the first time. The mechanism of actions, chemical structures, and factors affecting the antioxidant activity are also discussed, along with the associated health benefits.
Subject(s)
Saponins , Sea Cucumbers , Animals , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Humans , Invertebrates , Polysaccharides/chemistry , Saponins/chemistry , Sea Cucumbers/chemistryABSTRACT
In light of ongoing climate change, it is increasingly important to know how nutritional requirements of ectotherms are affected by changing temperatures. Here, we analyse the wide thermal response of phosphorus (P) requirements via elemental gross growth efficiencies of Carbon (C) and P, and the Threshold Elemental Ratios in different aquatic invertebrate ectotherms: the freshwater model species Daphnia magna, the marine copepod Acartia tonsa, the marine heterotrophic dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina, and larvae of two populations of the marine crab Carcinus maenas. We show that they all share a non-linear cubic thermal response of nutrient requirements. Phosphorus requirements decrease from low to intermediate temperatures, increase at higher temperatures and decrease again when temperature is excessive. This common thermal response of nutrient requirements is of great importance if we aim to understand or even predict how ectotherm communities will react to global warming and nutrient-driven eutrophication.
Subject(s)
Climate Change , Phosphorus , Animals , Carbon , Invertebrates , TemperatureABSTRACT
Monterey formation crude oil spilled from an onshore pipeline and entered the surf zone near Refugio State Beach, Santa Barbara County, CA, USA on 19 May 2015. Exposure to nearshore fish was evaluated by measuring biliary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolite concentrations in surfperch (Embiotocidae), collected near the release point, at a lesser oiled area, Gaviota State Beach, and near the Coal Oil Point oil seep, Campus Point, at both four days and approximately one year after the oil spill. Three to four weeks after the spill, fish, invertebrates, and kelp were collected near the same three sites for PAH analysis of edible tissues to support the fishery closure assessment. Additionally, thirteen days after the spill, vegetation, and invertebrate tissue samples from the seafloor near Refugio State Beach were analyzed for PAHs. In surfperch bile, mean naphthalene, phenanthrene and benzo(a)pyrene metabolite equivalents were significantly higher at Refugio State Beach, compared to Gaviota State Beach or Campus Point in 2015. One year later, there was no significant difference between the three sites. Spatial and depth zone patterns of PAH tissue concentrations from composited invertebrate, vegetation and fish showed highest concentrations were measured in invertebrates collected near Refugio State Beach. Overall, results show elevated PAH levels in nearshore organisms and provide a useful reference for potential PAH exposures in fish and subtidal invertebrates following a large nearshore oil spill.
Subject(s)
Petroleum Pollution , Petroleum , Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Animals , Environmental Monitoring , Fishes/metabolism , Invertebrates/metabolism , Petroleum/analysis , Petroleum Pollution/analysis , Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/analysis , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysisABSTRACT
Anthropogenic activities have increasingly subjected freshwater ecosystems globally to various pressures. Increasing land use activities have been highly linked to deteriorating freshwater ecosystems and dwindling biodiversity. For sound management and conservation policies to be implemented, relations between land use, environmental, and biotic components need to be widely documented. To evaluate the impacts of land use on biotic components, this study analyzed the diatom and macroinvertebrate community composition of the Eastern Highlands (Zimbabwe) streams to assess the main spatial diatom and macroinvertebrate community variances and how environmental variables and spatial factors influence community composition. Diatom and macroinvertebrate sampling was done in 16 streams in protected areas (national parks) and impacted sites (timber plantation and communal areas). Water (pH, phosphorus, and ammonium) and sediment (nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc) and habitat (substrate embeddedness, and habitat) variables differed significantly with land use. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the protected area had the best water quality, particularly marked by high pH levels and low phosphorus concentrations among environment types. Heavy metals were high in the communal areas, although mercury was higher in the national park. Significant differences were observed in diatom metrics, specifically dominance and evenness, with no significant differences observed in macroinvertebrate metrics across land uses. Diatoms differed in terms of composition in response to land use. Results provide an important scientific reference for land use optimization and guidance for the formulation of policies to protect freshwater resources in African Highland streams. Management and conservation initiatives in the Eastern Highlands are further recommended as this study detected high levels of mercury in the protected area, implying high levels of illegal mining.
Subject(s)
Diatoms , Mercury , Animals , Ecosystem , Environmental Monitoring/methods , Invertebrates/physiology , Phosphorus , Rivers/chemistry , Water QualityABSTRACT
The types and intensity of anthropogenic pressure in the same sea area may differ spatially and may change as time passes, but response of benthic biotic indices to different pressure is different, which makes it unreasonable to use the same benthic biotic indices in a large sea area. We provided a new way of thinking as to selecting benthic biotic indices according to pressure type. The study took six bays under eutrophication and sediment heavy metal pollution to different levels in Fujian coastal water, East China sea, as examples, analysed the response of five benthic biotic indices, namely AZTI marine biotic index (AMBI), multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI), Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H'), benthic opportunistic polychaetes amphipods (BOPA) and benthic polychaetes amphipods (BPA), to eutrophication factors and sediment heavy metal pollution factors firstly. The result indicated that AMBI well responded to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP); M-AMBI responded soundly in the range of DIN >0.131 mg L-1 and DIP >0.022 mg L-1 and responded universally to heavy metals; H' responded to only Hg and Cd; BOPA has response to eutrophication condition of DIN >0.242 mg L-1; BPA had response to DIN, Cu and As. Then, suitable indices were selected based on the four pressure scenarios in the study area. AMBI was selected in no pressure scenario; M-AMBI was chosen under only eutrophication pressure and under dual pressure; H' was preferred in only heavy metal pressure scenario (mainly Hg pollution). At last, the density plot of the distribution of the selected indices in the evaluation grades under different pressure scenarios proved the proposal of selecting benthic biotic indices according to pressure types feasible. This study can offer some new insights into rapidly choosing indices to evaluate the coastal benthic ecological quality status.
Subject(s)
Amphipoda , Mercury , Animals , Cadmium , China , Ecosystem , Environmental Monitoring , Eutrophication , Invertebrates , Nitrogen , Phosphorus , WaterABSTRACT
Concentrations of major ions in coal mine discharge waters and unconventional hydrocarbon produced waters derived from coal bed methane (CBM) production, are potentially harmful to freshwater ecosystems. Bicarbonate is a major constituent of produced waters from CBM and coal mining. However, little is known about the relative toxicity of differing ionic proportions, especially bicarbonate, found in these CBM waters. As all freshwater invertebrates tested are more acutely sensitive to sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) than sodium chloride (NaCl) or synthetic sea water, we tested the hypotheses that toxicity of CBM waters are driven by bicarbonate concentration, and waters containing a higher proportion of bicarbonate are more toxic to freshwater invertebrates than those with less bicarbonate. We compared the acute (96 h) lethal toxicity to six freshwater invertebrate species of NaHCO3 and two synthetic CBM waters, with ionic proportions representative of water from CBM wells across New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland (Qld), in Australia. The ranking of LC50 values expressed as total salinity was consistent with the hypotheses. However, when toxicity was expressed as bicarbonate concentration, the hypothesis that the toxicity of coal bed waters would be explained by bicarbonate concentration was not well supported, and other ionic components were either ameliorating or exacerbating the NaHCO3 toxicity. Our findings showed NaHCO3 was more toxic than NaCl and that the NaHCO3 proportion of synthetic CBM waters drives toxicity, however other ions are altering the toxicity of bicarbonate.
Subject(s)
Bicarbonates , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Animals , Coal , Ecosystem , Fresh Water , Invertebrates , Ions , Sodium Chloride , Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicityABSTRACT
Healthy aquatic ecosystems can offer basic ecological services for the sustainable development of humans and society. Water quality greatly influences the macroinvertebrate community in aquatic ecosystems and can alter the aquatic ecosystem's health status. However, the quantitative relationship between macroinvertebrate community and water quality factors in rivers remains unclear, particularly in urban rivers, which are strongly affected by human activities. Therefore, a new framework for the quantitative analysis between macroinvertebrate community and key water quality driving factors was developed in the study, meanwhile, the aquatic ecosystem health conditions were evaluated and validated by different methods. The framework was applied to a typical urban river, the North Canal River, which is regarded as the "mother river" of Beijing. Combined with the redundancy analysis (RDA) and the threshold indicator taxa analysis (TITAN), the water quality driving factors and their indicator species were identified and the corresponding response threshold was determined. Based on the benthic index of biotic integrity (B-IBI), the multi-metric rapid bioassessment method, and the biological monitoring working party (BMWP) score, the aquatic ecosystem health condition in the basin was comprehensively evaluated. The results show that fluoride, biochemical oxygen demand, ammonia-nitrogen and total phosphorus were the key water quality driving factors influencing the community structure of macroinvertebrates. Four indicator species of ammonia-nitrogen were identified by the TITAN method with a threshold range of 1.09-6.94 mg L-1, and three indicator species of total phosphorus were identified with a threshold range of 0.48-1.27 mg L-1. According to the results of the aquatic ecosystem health assessment, the river ecosystem was generally unhealthy and the upstream was better than downstream; the health condition in the mountainous areas of Changping district was the best, while that in Chaoyang district and the central city area was the worst. The framework could provide a strong basis for ecological restoration and pollution control of the urban rivers and become an important tool for the rehabilitation of aquatic ecosystems.
Subject(s)
Ecosystem , Water Quality , Ammonia , Animals , Beijing , China , Environmental Monitoring/methods , Humans , Invertebrates , Nitrogen , PhosphorusABSTRACT
The oil sands industry in Canada, produces heavy unconventional oils, diluted for transport and called diluted bitumen. However, despite advances in our knowledge of the ecotoxicological risk that these products represent, their effects on benthic organisms following a spill are still largely unknown. In order to fill these gaps, this study aims to determine the lethal and sublethal effects of two diluted bitumens (Bluesky and Cold Lake) and one conventional oil (Lloydminster) for two freshwater benthic invertebrates: Chironomus riparius and Hyalella azteca. The objective of this study is to assess the toxicity of dissolved hydrocarbons, resulting from the physical dispersion of oil, immediately after a spill on the benthic invertebrates. To this end, organisms were exposed for 7 days for chironomids and 14 days for amphipods to a fraction containing soluble hydrocarbons (WAF: water accommodated fraction; 10 g/L, 18 h of agitation, followed by 6 h of sedimentation) with natural or artificial sediment. After exposure, the effects of hydrocarbons were determined using size, mortality, and antioxidant capacities. Dissolved hydrocarbons induced mortality for both species, but these hydrocarbons disappeared very quickly from the water column, regardless of the oil type. The amphipods were sensitive to both types of oil while the chironomids were only sensitive to diluted bitumens. The presence of a natural sediment seems to provide a protective role against dissolved hydrocarbons. The antioxidant enzymes measured (CAT, SOD and GPx) do not appear to be relevant biomarkers for the exposure of these organisms to diluted bitumen.
Subject(s)
Amphipoda , Chironomidae , Petroleum Pollution , Petroleum , Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Animals , Antioxidants , Hydrocarbons/toxicity , Invertebrates , Lakes , Oil and Gas Fields , Petroleum/analysis , Petroleum/toxicity , Petroleum Pollution/adverse effects , Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/toxicity , Water , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicityABSTRACT
There is increasing interest in using autonomous sensor technology to monitor aquatic ecosystems in real time and in employing such monitoring data to perform better ecological risk assessments. At seven locations in McClean Lake in northern Saskatchewan (Canada) that received diluted uranium milling effluent, we deployed sensor units to track effluent distribution and help predict potential biological effects on aquatic invertebrates. Water was also collected from each location on multiple occasions to measure major ions, dissolved metals, and routine water quality, and sediment was sampled to analyze total metals. The ecotoxicological risk to aquatic invertebrates was estimated using hazard quotients (HQs). The cumulative risk was estimated by summing the individual HQs, and the major ions risk was based on total osmolarity. The results indicated temporal and spatial variations in effluent exposure based on sensor electrical conductivity (EC) measurements in the McClean Lake East Basin. Individual HQs for water ranged from "moderate" (0.40-0.69) to "very high" (greater than 1) for silver, cadmium, arsenic, selenium, mercury, iron, and thallium. At all sites, major ions risk was less than 1. Individual HQs for sediment were "moderate" (0.40-0.69), "high" (0.7-0.99), and "very high" (greater than 1) for vanadium and cadmium. The cumulative risk in water and sediment for all metals combined was greater than 1 at some sites in Vulture Lake (which discharged into McClean Lake) and in McClean Lake itself. A more detailed estimation of the risks for aqueous selenium and arsenic (the only two metals that had good correlation with sensor EC data) indicated that their 90th percentile HQ values were less than 1 in McClean Lake, suggesting that these contaminants of concern do not represent a significant direct risk to aquatic invertebrate communities. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:1765-1777. © 2022 SETAC.
Subject(s)
Arsenic , Selenium , Uranium , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Animals , Cadmium , Ecosystem , Environmental Monitoring/methods , Geologic Sediments , Invertebrates , Saskatchewan , Selenium/analysis , Uranium/toxicity , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicityABSTRACT
We investigated community structure of macroinvertebrate, water environment factors, hydrological factors at 23 sampling sites of the Yongding River basin from spring 2017 (April) to autumn 2017 (November). We analyzed the composition, spatial and temporal distribution of the macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups, as well as their responses to changes in riverine habitat. A total of 78 macroinvertebrate species were identified, with 52, 50 and 53 macroinvertebrate species in spring, summer and autumn respectively. The dominant functional feeding groups were gather-collectors, followed by predators, while the proportion of scrapers, filter-collectors and shredders were extremely low. Dominant species in the three seasons were all gather-collectors, including Orthocladius, Rheotanytarsus, Cricotopus in spring, Glyptotendipes in summer, and Polypedilum, Chironomus, Orthocladius in autumn. Results of redundancy analysis showed that the functional feeding groups of macroinvertebrate community structure were mainly influenced by water temperature, flow velocity, salinity, and total phosphorus in spring, by total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, conductivity and flow capacity in summer, and by total phosphorus and dissolved oxygen in autumn. Total phosphorus had positive correlation with gather-collectors in all three seasons, indicating that the functional feeding groups of macroinvertebrates were affected by water pollution. The evaluation based on the metrics of functional feeding groups showed that: 1) in terms of material cycle, primary productivity of Guishui River were significantly higher than other regions, and that in autumn were significantly higher than other seasons. The secondary productivity and decomposition capacity of Yanghe River were significantly higher than other regions, and those in spring were significantly higher than other seasons. The autotrophy/heterotrophy of Yanghe River was significantly lower than other regions, and that in spring were significantly higher than other seasons. 2) The longitudinal transport capacity of Sanggan River was significantly higher than other regions, and that in autumn was significantly higher than other seasons. 3) The lateral input capacity of Guishui River was significantly higher than other regions, and that in summer was significantly higher than other seasons.
Subject(s)
Chironomidae , Invertebrates , Animals , Rivers/chemistry , Ecosystem , Seasons , Phosphorus , Water , Environmental MonitoringABSTRACT
The approaches for analysis of N-glycans have radically altered in the last 20 years or so. Due to increased sensitivity, mass spectrometry has become the predominant method in modern glycomics. Here, we summarize recent studies showing that the improved resolution and detection by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has contributed greatly to the discovery of a large range of anionic and zwitterionic N-glycan structures across the different kingdoms of life, whereby MALDI-TOF MS in negative mode is less widely performed than in positive mode. However, its use enables the detection of key fragments indicative of certain sugar modifications such as sulfate, (methyl) phosphate, phosphoethanolamine, (methyl)aminoethylphosphonate, glucuronic, and sialic acid, thereby enabling certain isobaric glycan variations to be distinguished. As we also discuss in this review, complementary approaches such as negative-mode electrospray ionization-MS/MS, Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance MS, and ion mobility MS yield, respectively, cross-linkage fragments, high accuracy masses, and isomeric information, thus adding other components to complete the jigsaw puzzle when defining unusual glycan modifications from lower organisms.