Growing coastal tourism: Can biomonitoring provide insights into the health of coastal ecosystems?

Coastal tourism's surge raises concerns for Morocco's Agadir marine environment, notably with Taghazout Bay's impact. Our study assesses Taghazout's health, employing a comprehensive approach. Our study evaluates Taghazout's health, adopting a comprehensive approach covering physicochemical, microbiological aspects, macrobenthic fauna, metal pollution, and biomarkers in D. trunculus mollusks. Seawater quality aligns with Moroccan standards, indicating good bathing water. The intertidal zone hosts ten species, dominated by D. trunculus. Biomarker responses in D. trunculus suggest chemical stress. Land-use maps expose significant changes driven by the Taghazout Bay project, impacting approximately 37.99 % of the landscape. Construction activities notably encroached upon the Arganeraie and the coastal zone, creating a stark contrast from 2003. These findings form a crucial database for future studies, contributing significantly to environmental management and sustainable development, aiding informed decision-making and effective coastal ecosystem preservation strategies.

The impact of climate change and pollution on trematode-bivalve dynamics.

Coastal ecosystems and their marine populations are increasingly threatened by global environmental changes. Bivalves have emerged as crucial bioindicators within these ecosystems, offering valuable insights into biodiversity and overall ecosystem health. In particular, bivalves serve as hosts to trematode parasites, making them a focal point of study. Trematodes, with their life cycles intricately linked to external factors, provide excellent indicators of environmental changes and exhibit a unique ability to accumulate pollutants beyond ambient levels. Thus, they act as living sentinels, reflecting the ecological condition of their habitats. This paper presents a comprehensive review of recent research on the use of bivalve species as hosts for trematodes, examining the interactions between these organisms. The study also investigates the combined impact of trematode infections and other pollutants on bivalve molluscs. Trematode infections have multifaceted consequences for bivalve species, influencing various aspects of their physiology and behavior, including population-wide mortality. Furthermore, the coexistence of trematode infections and other sources of pollution compromises host resistance, disrupts parasite transmission, and reduces the abundance of intermediate hosts for complex-living parasites. The accumulation process of these parasites is influenced not only by external factors but also by host physiology. Consequently, the implications of climate change and environmental factors, such as temperature, salinity, and ocean acidification, are critical considerations. In summary, the intricate relationship between bivalves, trematode parasites, and their surrounding environment provides valuable insights into the health and sustainability of coastal ecosystems. A comprehensive understanding of these interactions, along with the influence of climate change and environmental parameters, is essential for effective management and conservation strategies aimed at preserving these delicate ecosystems and the diverse array of species that rely on them.

Do the individual and population-level traits of Donax trunculus reflect the effects of metal contamination in aquatic environments?

Heavy metals are considered a major threat to aquatic ecosystems, due to their ability to penetrate and accumulate through the food chain, putting marine organisms and the ecosystem at risk. This research presents a case study of the Taghazout coast, located in the central Atlantic of Morocco, which has become the focal point of various development projects, including the Taghazout Bay tourist resort. The study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the harmful effects of these metals on the reproductive cycle and population dynamics of the bivalve Donax trunculus. The assessment of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and copper (Cu) levels in D. trunculus bivalves and sediment at the research location provides evidence of exposure to these metal sources by these bivalves. The analysis of the reproductive cycle revealed a balanced sex ratio of males to females. The Sexual Maturity Index (SMI) and Condition Index (CI) of the bivalves were found to be significantly influenced by trace elements Pb and Cu, as well as environmental factors like temperature, dissolved oxygen, and salinity. The maturity stages of the gonads were classified into five stages: undifferentiated, developing, mature, spawning, and spent. Two spawning periods were observed aligning with the population dynamics study that identified a bimodal recruitment (early autumn and spring) in D. trunculus. The population was found to have 11 size cohorts, with a maximum length of 37.96 cm, a yearly growth rate of 1.93 cm, and a short lifespan of 1.5 years. The high mortality rate of 3.30 per year was attributed to the presence of trace elements in Taghazout coast. These findings shed light on heavy metal's impact on the population of D. trunculus, revealing that a sole emphasis on its physiological or cellular effects may overlook its larger impact.

Assessment of heavy metal contamination and ecological risk in Morocco's marine and estuarine ecosystems through a combined analysis of surface sediment and bioindicator species: Donax trunculus and Scrobicularia plana.

Morocco is one of the most affected regions by heavy metal pollution worldwide. In this study, two ecosystems in Agadir Bay, southern Morocco, were studied seasonally, using surface sediment and bivalve species. The concentrations of Cu, Pb and Cd were determined using the Shimadzu AAS 7000 flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer method. Our results marked average levels corresponding to an unpolluted sediment with a low contamination degree, low ecological risk associated with metal contamination, and levels that did not exceed the thresholds set by EC, USEPA, INERIS and INRH, except for Pb in tourist beach. The principal component analysis findings revealed a positive correlation in the bioaccumulation between the two compartments, with an influence of abiotic parameters. Thus, to better manage environmental pollution in these ecosystems, authorities must implement waste treatment strategies in the surrounding harbor and tourist complexes and prohibit the use of these toxic metals in the coastal areas.

Microbiological assessment of marine and estuarine ecosystems using fecal indicator bacteria, Salmonella, Vibrio and antibiotic resistance pattern.

Marine and estuarine environments are often affected by microbiological contamination that adversely affects their use and severely impacts human health. To examine the influence of anthropogenic activities, this study used two different ecosystems in Agadir Bay, to compare fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and bacterial pathogen profiles over two years. Vibrio target pathogens were detected at a high frequency (49.3%), while a low percentage (5.5%) was noted for Salmonella. Apart from those mentioned above, several other pathogenic bacteria were detected such as Cronobacter sakzakii, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Aeromonas hydrophila. We also investigated the antimicrobial resistance of the pathogenic bacteria isolated. Salmonella strains were sensitive to all the antibiotics used, except ampicillin, amoxicillin + Ac clavulanic and chloramphenicol. And Vibrio strains were resistant to ampicillin, cephalothin, amikacin, and ciprofloxacin. This study highlights the limitations of FIB in assessing the microbiological quality and the importance of environmental surveys in understanding the distribution of pathogens.

Integration assay of bacteriological risks in marine environment using salmonella spp and multimarker response in the bivalve Donax trunculus: Novel biomonitoring approach.

Microbiological contamination is one of the riskiest forms of human contamination in seawater, which threaten the stability of ecosystems and human health. In this study, we study the accumulation of a pathogenic bacteria Salmonella spp; isolated from the marine environment, in the soft tissue of Donax trunculus (Mollusca, Bivalvia), a commonly used as a bioindicators species for aquatic ecosystems monitoring, under laboratory conditions during both exposure and recovery periods. These bacteria were added in seawater at three concentrations previously determined against sentinel specie at three exposure periods (24, 48 and 96 h). In a second series of experiments, exposed specimens were afterward transplanted to clean water to assess the recovery pattern. The mortality rate of bivalves was determined as biomarker of general stress. Our findings suggest that microbiological contamination by Salmonella spp was gradually incorporated into the body of D. trunculus causing a significant induction of enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, as a function of time and concentration. Exposure to a bacterial concentration of 5.104 bacteria/liter resulted in the mortality of more than 80% of the specimens. This study is to test the pathogenicity of Salmonella strains at concentrations close to those of the marine environment, and their effects on biomarkers, thus deducing the existence of an exponential relationship between bacterial concentrations and enzymatic response. The principal component analysis shows that the four biomarkers had similar variation with bacterial concentrations, while two groups were obtained to change following the exposure time (CAT-GST and AChE-MDA). This study provides new findings on the potential accumulation of pathogenic bacteria associated with neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in the wedge clam Donax trunculus.

Assessment of seasonal and spatial variation responses of integrated biomarkers in two marine sentinel bivalve species: Agadir Bay (Southern of Morocco).

The present study aims to assess the effects of contamination of the Agadir bay coasts using bivalves as a biomonitoring sentinel species. Seasonal variations of biochemical composition in terms of total protein content and oxidative stress biomarkers including glutathione-S-transferase, malondialdehyde, catalase and acetylcholinesterase were evaluated in the soft tissues of Scrobicularia plana and Donax trunculus specimens. The latter were collected from two sites in Agadir bay during two-year span (2018-2020). The Integrated Biomarker Response Index (IBR) was performed to classify the stress response in both species and to assess the level of exposure to xenobiotics. The data showed maximum annual values of acetylcholinesterase and malondialdehyde for Donax trunculus in Agadir beach (AG) with 6.25 nmol/mn/mg and 3 nmol/mg of protein, respectively. Those of catalase and glutathione-S-transferase for Scrobicularia plana in Oued Souss estuary (OS) were of 4.41 µmol/mn/mg and 14.43 nmol/mn/mg of protein, respectively. The studied species are considered good indicators in aquatic ecosystems.

Recent progress in marine noise pollution: A thorough review.

The increase in urbanization and the progressive development of marine industries have led to the appearance of a new kind of pollution called "noise pollution". This pollution exerts an increasing pressure on marine mammals, fish species, and invertebrates, which constitutes a new debate that must be controlled in a sustainable way by environmental and noise approaches with the objective of preserving marine and human life. Despite, noise pollution can travel long distances underwater, cover large areas, and have secondary effects on marine animals; by masking their ability to hear their prey or predators, finding their way, or connecting group members. During the COVID-19 pandemic, except for the transportation of essential goods and emergency services, all the public transport services were suspended including aircraft and ships. This lockdown has impacted positively on the marine environment through reduction of the noise sources. In this article, we are interested in noise pollution in general, its sources, impacts, and the management and future actions to follow. And since this pollution is not studied in Morocco, we focused on the different sources that can generate it on the Moroccan coasts. This is the first review article, which focuses on the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on this type of pollution in the marine environment; which we aim to identify the impact of this pandemic on underwater noise and marine species. Finally, and given the increase in noise levels, preventive management, both at the national and international level, is required before irreversible damage is caused to biodiversity and the marine ecosystem.