Assessment of trace and macroelement accumulation in cyprinid juveniles as bioindicators of aquatic pollution: effects of diets and habitat preferences.

Juveniles of three cyprinids with various diets and habitat preferences were collected from the Szamos River (Hungary) during a period of pollution in November 2013: the herbivorous, benthic nase (Chondrostoma nasus), the benthivorous, benthic barbel (Barbus barbus), and the omnivorous, pelagic chub (Squalius cephalus). Our study aimed to assess the accumulation of these elements across species with varying diets and habitat preferences, as well as their potential role in biomonitoring efforts. The Ca, K, Mg, Na, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Sr, and Zn concentration was analyzed in muscle, gills, and liver using MP-AES. The muscle and gill concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe, and Zn increased with trophic level. At the same time, several differences were found among the trace element patterns related to habitat preferences. The trace elements, including Cd, Pb, and Zn, which exceeded threshold concentrations in the water, exhibited higher accumulations mainly in the muscle and gills of the pelagic chub. Furthermore, the elevated concentrations of trace elements in sediments (Cr, Cu, Mn) demonstrated higher accumulation in the benthic nase and barbel. Our findings show habitat preference as a key factor in juvenile bioindicator capability, advocating for the simultaneous use of pelagic and benthic juveniles to assess water and sediment pollution status.

Effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on cyanobacteria and algae in laboratory strains and in natural algal assemblages.

In recent years measurable concentrations of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been shown in the aquatic environment as a result of increasing human consumption. Effects of five frequently used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac, diflunisal, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid and piroxicam in 0.1 mg ml(-1) concentration) in batch cultures of cyanobacteria (Synechococcus elongatus, Microcystis aeruginosa, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii), and eukaryotic algae (Desmodesmus communis, Haematococcus pluvialis, Cryptomonas ovata) were studied. Furthermore, the effects of the same concentrations of NSAIDs were investigated in natural algal assemblages in microcosms. According to the changes of chlorophyll-a content, unicellular cyanobacteria seemed to be more tolerant to NSAIDs than eukaryotic algae in laboratory experiments. Growth of eukaryotic algae was reduced by all drugs, the cryptomonad C. ovata was the most sensitive to NSAIDs, while the flagellated green alga H. pluvialis was more sensitive than the non-motile green alga D. communis. NSAID treatments had weaker impact in the natural assemblages dominated by cyanobacteria than in the ones dominated by eukaryotic algae, confirming the results of laboratory experiments. Diversity and number of functional groups did not change notably in cyanobacteria dominated assemblages, while they decreased significantly in eukaryotic algae dominated ones compared to controls. The results highlight that cyanobacteria (especially unicellular ones) are less sensitive to the studied, mostly hardly degradable NSAIDs, which suggest that their accumulation in water bodies may contribute to the expansion of cyanobacterial mass productions in appropriate environmental circumstances by pushing back eukaryotic algae. Thus, these contaminants require special attention during wastewater treatment and monitoring of surface waters.

Phylogenetic evidence for a new species of Barbus in the Danube River basin.

Three species of small-sized rheophilic Barbus fishes are endemic to and widely distributed throughout the mountain regions in the Danube River basin. In Hungary, barbels referred to as B. petenyi occur in streams in the foothills of the Carpathians near the borders with Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania. However, up to now, no genetic investigations were carried out on rheophilic barbels in this region. This study aims to clarify the taxonomic identity and distribution of the rheophilic barbels in the Hungarian plain based on molecular and morphological analyses. Two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b, ATPase 6/8) and one nuclear gene (beta-actin intron 2) were sequenced and several morphometric and meristic characters were recorded. Phylogenetic and morphological analyses revealed that there are four genetically distinct lineages among the rheophilic barbels in the Carpathian Basin. The results demonstrated that North-Hungarian Barbus populations belong to B. carpathicus and that B. petenyi presumably does not occur in Hungary. As expected, B. balcanicus was only recorded in samples from the Balkans analyzed for reference. A distinct species, new to science, was discovered to be present in Sebes-Körös River (Crisul Repede) in eastern Hungary and western Romania and is formally described here as B. biharicus Antal, László, Kotlík - sp. nov.

Effects of Cylindrospermopsin Producing Cyanobacterium and Its Crude Extracts on a Benthic Green Alga-Competition or Allelopathy?

Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by filamentous cyanobacteria which could work as an allelopathic substance, although its ecological role in cyanobacterial-algal assemblages is mostly unclear. The competition between the CYN-producing cyanobacterium Chrysosporum (Aphanizomenon) ovalisporum, and the benthic green alga Chlorococcum sp. was investigated in mixed cultures, and the effects of CYN-containing cyanobacterial crude extract on Chlorococcum sp. were tested by treatments with crude extracts containing total cell debris, and with cell debris free crude extracts, modelling the collapse of a cyanobacterial water bloom. The growth inhibition of Chlorococcum sp. increased with the increasing ratio of the cyanobacterium in mixed cultures (inhibition ranged from 26% to 87% compared to control). Interestingly, inhibition of the cyanobacterium growth also occurred in mixed cultures, and it was more pronounced than it was expected. The inhibitory effects of cyanobacterial crude extracts on Chlorococcum cultures were concentration-dependent. The presence of C. ovalisporum in mixed cultures did not cause significant differences in nutrient content compared to Chlorococcum control culture, so the growth inhibition of the green alga could be linked to the presence of CYN and/or other bioactive compounds.

Alterations of phytoplankton assemblages treated with chlorinated hydrocarbons: effects of dominant species sensitivity and initial diversity.

Changes in composition of phytoplankton assemblages due to short-chained chlorinated hydrocarbons (tetrachloroethane, tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene) were studied in microcosm experiments with different initial diversities. Diversity decreased further during treatments in the less diverse 2011 summer assemblages, dominated by the euglenid Trachelomonas volvocinopsis (its relative abundance was nearly 70 %). Diversity did not change significantly during treatments in the more diverse 2012 summer assemblages, dominated by cryptomonads (their relative abundance was 40 %). The dominant Trachelomonas volvocinopsis in 2011, due to its insensitivity to the treatment and presumably high competition skills, filled released habitats occurring when sensitive species were not detectable any more. In contrast, cryptomonads were extremely sensitive to the treatments, their abundance decreased under detection limit in the treated assemblages, regardless of diversity conditions. Our results showed that population dynamics of dominant species determine the response to the contamination of the entire community, if these species display high resistance or resilience. If the dominant species was highly sensitive and recovered slowly, compensatory growth of rare species maintained high levels of ecosystem performance.

Zinc tolerance and zinc removal ability of living and dried biomass of Desmodesmus communis.

Effects of zinc on growth, cell morphology, oxidative stress, and zinc removal ability of the common phytoplankton species Desmodesmus communis were investigated at a concentration range of 0.25-160 mg L(-1) zinc. Cell densities and chlorophyll content decreased in treated cultures, changes in coenobia morphology and elevated lipid peroxidation levels appeared above 2.5 mg L(-1) zinc. The most effective zinc removal was observed at 5 mg L(-1) zinc concentration, while maximal amount of removed zinc appeared in 15 mg L(-1) zinc treated culture. Removed zinc is mainly bound on the cell surface. Dead biomass adsorbed more zinc than living biomass relative to unit of dry mass, but living biomass was more effective, relative to initial zinc content. This study comprehensively examines the zinc tolerance and removal ability of D. communis and demonstrates, in comparison with published literature, that these characteristics of different isolates of the same species can vary within a wide range.