scholarly journals Lake Phytoplankton Assemblage Altered by Irregularly Shaped PLA Body Wash Microplastics but Not by PS Calibration Beads

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2650
Author(s):  
Kiyoko Yokota ◽  
Marissa Mehlrose
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Environmental Pollutant ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Source Water ◽  
Phytoplankton Assemblage ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Aquatic Food ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Natural Phytoplankton

Microplastics are an emerging environmental pollutant, whose global ubiquity is becoming increasingly evident. Conventional wastewater treatment does not completely remove them, and there are growing concerns about microplastics in source water and post-treatment drinking water. Microplastics have been reported to alter the development, physiology, and behavior of various aquatic organisms; however, limited knowledge exists on their effect on natural phytoplankton communities. Many studies also use uniformly spherical plastic beads, while most scrub particles in consumer products and secondary microplastics in the environment have various shapes and sizes. We tested the effects of two types of microplastics, 50 µm polystyrene (PS) calibration beads and polylactic acid (PLA) plastic body wash scrub particles, and one type of plant-derived body wash scrub particle on a natural phytoplankton assemblage through a 7-day incubation experiment in a temperate, mesotrophic lake. The calibration beads and the plant-derived particles generally did not alter the taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton in the mesocosms, while the PLA body wash microplastics eliminated cryptophytes (p < 0.001) and increased chrysophytes (p = 0.041). Our findings demonstrate differential effects of irregularly shaped PLA body wash microplastics vs. PS calibration beads on lake phytoplankters and empirically support potential bottom-up alteration of the aquatic food web by secondary microplastics.

scholarly journals No Clear Response in the Stormwater Phytoplankton Community to Biocide Contamination

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3120
Author(s):  
Greta Minelgaite ◽  
Diana A. Stephansen ◽  
Márta Simon ◽  
Morten L. Fejerskov ◽  
Jes Vollertsen
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Community Response ◽  
The Other ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Mesocosm Experiments ◽  
Laboratory Microcosm ◽  
Stormwater Pond ◽  
Natural Phytoplankton

This study investigated the responses of natural phytoplankton communities of an urban stormwater pond to biocide contamination. The biocides carbendazim, terbutryn, diuron, and irgarol 1051, and their mixture, were used in two laboratory microcosm and one outdoor mesocosm studies at concentrations of 10, 100, and 1000 ng L−1. The water samples were collected in a pond receiving significant biocide contamination. The mesocosm study was carried out in the same pond. The phytoplankton community response was evaluated after 10–15 days of exposure, with respect to its taxonomic composition, abundance and biovolume. No significant changes were observed in any of the experiments. Only at the highest applied terbutryn concentration were lower numbers of taxa identified in both microcosm and mesocosm experiments. Additionally, increases in Chlorophyta abundance and biovolume, along with an increase in irgarol concentration, were observed throughout the three experiments. Nevertheless, the statistical analysis did not confirm any significant differences among the biocide treatments. These results suggest that the biocide concentrations probably were below the harmful or toxic threshold to the stormwater pond phytoplankton. On the other hand, as the investigated pond phytoplankton taxa face biocide inputs throughout the year, they could have already adapted to the tested biocide contamination.

scholarly journals Inorganic nanomaterials in the aquatic environment: behavior, toxicity, and interaction with environmental elements

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Krzyżewska ◽  
Joanna Kyzioł-Komosińska ◽  
Czesława Rosik-Dulewska ◽  
Justyna Czupioł ◽  
Patrycja Antoszczyszyn-Szpicka
Keyword(s):  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Aquatic Environment ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Environmental Pollutant ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Process Conditions ◽  
Metabolic Systems ◽  
Copper Gold ◽  
Living Organisms

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to present characteristics, toxicity and environmental behavior of nanoparticles (NPs) (silver, copper, gold, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, iron oxide) that most frequently occur in consumer products. In addition, NPs are addressed as the new aquatic environmental pollutant of the 21stcentury. NPs are adsorbed onto particles in the aquatic systems (clay minerals, fulvic and humic acids), or they can adsorb environmental pollutants (heavy metal ions, organic compounds). Nanosilver (nAg) is released from consumer products into the aquatic environment. It can threaten aquatic organisms with high toxicity. Interestingly, copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) demonstrate higher toxicity to bacteria and aquatic microorganisms than those of nanosilver nAg. Their small size and reactivity can cause penetration into the tissues and interfere with the metabolic systems of living organisms and bacterial biogeochemical cycles. The behavior of NPs is not fully recognized. Nevertheless, it is known that NPs can agglomerate, bind with ions (chlorides, sulphates, phosphates) or organic compounds. They can also be bound or immobilized by slurry. The NPs behavior depends on process conditions, i.e. pH, ionic strength, temperature and presence of other chemical compounds. It is unknown how NPs behave in the aquatic environment. Therefore, the research on this problem should be carried out under different process conditions. As for the toxicity, it is important to understand where the differences in the research results come from. As NPs have an impact on not only aquatic organisms but also human health and life, it is necessary to recognize their toxic doses and know standards/regulations that determine the permissible concentrations of NPs in the environment.

scholarly journals Effects of Salinity and Suspended Solids on Tropical Phytoplankton Mesocosm Communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 194008292093976
Author(s):  
Genevieve Sew ◽  
Peter Todd
Keyword(s):  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Coastal Environment ◽  
Phytoplankton Composition ◽  
Phytoplankton Abundance ◽  
Phytoplankton Assemblage ◽  
Marine Food Webs ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Salinity Levels ◽  
Marine Food ◽  
Natural Phytoplankton

Phytoplankton play a fundamental role in marine food webs but are affected by both natural and anthropogenic fluctuations in environmental conditions. Here, to simulate a dynamic coastal environment, we used mesocosms to examine how different salinity levels and suspended solids concentrations (SSCs) impact a natural phytoplankton assemblage collected from a tropical estuary in Singapore. Significant differences in the phytoplankton composition between the baseline and treatments with medium and high SSC were found, but not among the three salinities tested. Differences can be attributed to nutrient limitation (particularly silicate) and the use of kaolinite for the suspended sediment. Silicate limitation is likely to have caused the observed switch in dominant genus from Skeletonema sp. to Chaetoceros sp. and the occurrence of weakly silicified genera such as Cylindrotheca. Kaolinite affected phytoplankton abundance through effects such as shading, flocculation, and nutrient adsorption. These results demonstrated how the combination of various physicochemical effects of suspended solids can influence tropical phytoplankton communities. Furthermore, as suspended solids such as kaolin can be found in the natural environment, this study showed that their potential effects should be evaluated beyond just their concentration.

Photoacclimation of natural phytoplankton communities

2016 ◽  
Vol 542 ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
JR Graff ◽  
TK Westberry ◽  
AJ Milligan ◽  
MB Brown ◽  
G Dall’Olmo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
Natural Phytoplankton

scholarly journals Fatty acid composition and parasitism of European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) populations in the northern Catalan Sea in the context of changing environmental conditions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Biton-Porsmoguer ◽  
Ricard Bou ◽  
Elsa Lloret ◽  
Manuel Alcaide ◽  
Josep Lloret
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Total Lipid Content ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Adjacent Area ◽  
Poor Condition ◽  
Lipid Dynamics ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
The Status

AbstractThe status of sardine and anchovy populations in the northern Mediterranean Sea has been declining in recent decades. In this study, fatty acids and parasitism at different reproductive and feeding stages in these two species were assessed using specimens caught along the northern Catalan coast, in order to assess the links between lipid dynamics, reproduction and feeding in these two species, and to contribute towards an explanation of the potential causes of the current situation of the stocks. The results support the use of fatty acid levels as indicators of the body condition of sardine and anchovy at different reproductive and feeding stages, as well as that of the pelagic environmental conditions. In particular, the relatively low n-3 PUFA levels (which are crucial for reproductive success) found in spawning sardines compared to spawning anchovies indicate a poorer reproductive health status of sardine. By comparing the current total lipid content values with those recorded in other Mediterranean and North Atlantic areas, and, others from more than ten years ago, in the adjacent area of the Gulf of Lion, our study reveals the persistent poor condition of sardine and anchovy in the northern Catalan Sea. Furthermore, the low levels of diatom fatty acid markers observed throughout the spawning and non-spawning seasons in both sardine and anchovy, indicate a diet poor in diatoms. Moreover, the results indicate that it is very unlikely that parasitism is a significant factor in the decline in condition of sardine and anchovy in the northern Catalan Sea. In fact, the results suggest that the current poor condition of sardine and anchovy in the northern Catalan Sea has been exacerbated by a decrease in plankton productivity and/or a shift in the taxonomic composition of phytoplankton communities, adding to the ongoing effects of overfishing.

scholarly journals A scalable culturing system for the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Kuehn ◽  
Alexander W. Stockinger ◽  
Jerome Girard ◽  
Florian Raible ◽  
B. Duygu Özpolat
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Model System ◽  
Light Conditions ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Culture Methods ◽  
Cell Lineages ◽  
Full Life Cycle ◽  
Platynereis Dumerilii ◽  
Culturing Conditions ◽  
And Behavior

ABSTRACTPlatynereis dumerilii is a marine segmented worm (annelid) with externally fertilized embryos and it can be cultured for the full life cycle in the laboratory. The accessibility of embryos and larvae combined with the breadth of the established molecular and functional techniques has made P. dumerilii an attractive model for studying development, cell lineages, cell type evolution, reproduction, regeneration, the nervous system, and behavior. Traditionally, these worms have been kept in rooms dedicated for their culture. This allows for the regulation of temperature and light cycles, which is critical to synchronizing sexual maturation. However, regulating the conditions of a whole room present limitations, especially if experiments require being able to change culturing conditions. Here we present scalable and flexible culture methods that provide ability to control the environmental conditions, and have a multi-purpose culture space. We provide a closed setup shelving design with proper light conditions necessary for P. dumerilii to mature. We also implemented a standardized method of feeding P. dumerilii cultures with powdered spirulina which relieves the ambiguity associated with using frozen spinach, and helps standardize nutrition conditions across experiments and across different labs. By using these methods, we were able to raise mature P. dumerilii, capable of spawning and producing viable embryos for experimentation and replenishing culture populations. These methods will allow for the further accessibility of P. dumerilii as a model system, and they can be adapted for other aquatic organisms.

scholarly journals Effects of Humic Acid and Natural Sunlight Irradiation on the Behaviour of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in the Aqueous Environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 11256-11271
Keyword(s):  
Humic Acid ◽  
Zno Nanoparticles ◽  
Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Oxide Nanoparticles ◽  
Aqueous Environment ◽  
Sunlight Irradiation ◽  
Langmuir Isotherm Model

The unique properties of ZnO nanoparticles have attracted scientists’ interest to produce on a large-scale. Household items, cosmetics, consumer products, and electric sensors are some products that utilize these ZnO nanomaterials. Eventually, ZnO nanoparticles will be released into the environment in various ways. Once released, ZnO nanoparticles would dissociate into Zn2+ ions, which are toxic to aquatic organisms. The presence of humic acid and exposure to sunlight could affect the dissolution of ZnO nanoparticles. Two sizes of commercial ZnO nanoparticles (< 50 nm and < 100 nm) were chosen to study the influence of humic acid and sunlight on the dissolution. In the presence of humic acid, the dissolution of both sizes is higher, with 67 % and 39 % Zn2+ dissolved for < 50 nm and < 100 nm, respectively. The concentration of Zn2+ ions seems to be consistent or stable when exposed to sunlight. However, the humic acid enhanced the release of Zn2+ ions. Langmuir isotherm model best fitted for the humic acid's sorption onto the ZnO nanoparticles with the process been favorable.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document