Physiological and molecular effects of contaminants of emerging concerns of micro and nano-size in aquatic metazoans: overview and current gaps in Antarctic species

• Published in: Environmental Science and Pollution Research
• Main Authors: Rondon, Rodolfo, Cárdenas, César, A, Cosseau, Céline, Bergami, Elisa, Balbi, Teresa, Corsi, Ilaria, González-Aravena, Marcelo
• Other Authors: Instituto Antartico Chileno, Interactions Hôtes-Pathogènes-Environnements (IHPE), Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia = University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra dell'Ambiente e della Vita (DISTAV), Università degli studi di Genova = University of Genoa (UniGe), Department of Environmental Sciences “G. Sarfatti”, Università degli Studi di Siena = University of Siena (UNISI)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2024
• Subjects: Microplastic; Nanoplastic; Manufactured nanoparticles; Antarctica; Aquatic organisms; Transcriptomic; Biomarkers; [SDV.TOX.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Toxicology/Ecotoxicology; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctic Krill
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04690627; https://hal.science/hal-04690627/document; https://hal.science/hal-04690627/file/Rondon-2024-EnvSciPollRes-Physiological-MANUSCRIT.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-34457-6

International audience Although Antarctica is the most isolated continent on Earth, its remote location does not protect it from the impacts of human activities. Antarctic metazoans such as filter-feeding invertebrates are a crucial component of the Antarctic benthos. They play a key role in the benthic-pelagic carbon flux in coastal areas by filtering particles and planktonic organisms from the sediment-water interface. Due to their peculiar ecological niche, these organisms can be considered a wasp-waist in the eco-system, making them highly sensitive to marine pollution. Recently, anthropogenic particles such as micronanoplastics and manufactured nanoparticles (MNP) have been classified as contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) due to their small size range, which also overlaps with the preferred particle size ingested by aquatic metazoans. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that some species such as Antarctic krill can ingest, transform, and release MNPs, making them newly bioavailable for other Antarctic filterfeeding organisms. Similarly, the production and use of anthropogenic MNP are rapidly increasing, leading to a growing presence of materials, such as nano-sized metal-oxides, in the environment. For these reasons, it is important to provide evidence of the adverse effects of such emerging contaminants at sub-lethal concentrations in environmental risk assessments. These contaminants may cause cascade effects with consequences not only on individuals but also at the com-munity and ecosystem levels. In this review, we discuss the state-of-the-art knowledge on the physiological and molecular effects of anthropogenic MNP in Antarctic aquatic metazoans. We further highlight the importance of identifying early biomarkers using sessile metazoans as sentinels of environmental health.