Bisphenol A affects the development and the onset of photosymbiosis in the acoel Symsagittiferaroscoffensis.

Photosymbiosis indicates a long-term association between animals and photosynthetic organisms. It has been mainly investigated in photosymbiotic cnidarians, while other photosymbiotic associations have been largely neglected. The acoel Symsagittifera roscoffensis lives in obligatory symbiosis with the microalgal Tetraselmis convolutae and has recently emerged as alternative model to study photosymbiosis. Here, we investigated the effects of Bisphenol A, a common plastic additive, on two pivotal stages of its lifecycle: aposymbiotic juvenile development and photosymbiogenesis. Based on our results, this pollutant altered the development of the worms and their capacity to engulf algae from the environment at concentrations higher than the levels detected in seawater, yet aligning with those documented in sediments of populated areas. Data provide novel information about the effects of pollutants on photosymbiotic associations and prompt the necessity to monitor their concentrations in marine environmental matrices.

Loneliness and Subjective Wellbeing During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.

To prevent the transmission of COVID-19, unprecedented measures were implemented, such as community lockdowns. With limited social interactions, the problem of loneliness might have worsened. As loneliness is thought to have a detrimental effect on subjective wellbeing (SWB), the present systematic review aims to better investigate and summarize the existing evidence about the association of loneliness and SWB during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 18 articles were included. In all studies, independently of the component of wellbeing assessed or of the instrument used, a negative association between loneliness and SWB was found. The results show an increase in loneliness during times of restrictions on social contacts, with a subsequent association with lower SWB, and underscore the need for developing specific interventions to tackle loneliness and for promoting alternative forms of social interaction if further physical distancing measures are needed. However, the literature had several limitations, since most of the studies followed cross-sectional and descriptive methodologies.

Connecting and feeling: Associations between social factors and emotions in nine countries.

We aimed to explore the distribution of positive and negative emotions across nine low-, middle- and high-income countries; and the association between social factors and these emotions. Data were drawn from the SAGE and the COURAGE studies, with 52,553 participants. Emotions were assessed through the day reconstruction method.Sociodemographic characteristics and social factors were also measured. Multiple linear regressions were performed. Finland, China and African countries showed significantly lower scores on the negative emotions, whereas positive emotions were more homogeneous across countries. Loneliness was positively associated with negative emotions and negatively associated with positive ones; frequent social participation was related with higher scores in positive emotions; and lower trust with higher levels of feeling rushed, irritated, depressed and less calm. The extent to which each emotion was felt varied across countries, but there seems to exist an association of social factors with the emotions.

Mixotrophic flagellate ingestion boosts microplastic accumulation in ascidians.

Microplastics are contaminants of global environmental concern. They can be ingested by a variety of organisms when they enter the food web. Several studies have reported trophic transfer of microplastics from low trophic levels to higher ones. Bioaccumulation has been suggested to occur but few studies have demonstrated it for marine environments. In this article, in controlled laboratory conditions, we exposed filter-feeder ascidian juveniles to microplastics in the presence or in absence of mixotrophic cryptomonad flagellates. Cryptomonads can efficiently ingest microbeads, and their presence significantly increased the concentration of microplastics in the digestive tract of the ascidians. Our results demonstrate the occurrence of microplastic bioaccumulation in the lower levels of the marine trophic chain and suggest that unicellular organisms can be key actors in microplastic trophic transfer at the microscale level.