Interaction of short-term copper pollution and ocean acidification in seagrass ecosystems: Toxicity, bioconcentration and dietary transfer

We aimed to show how the predicted pH decrease in the ocean would alter the toxicity, bioconcentration and dietary transfer of trace metal copper on seagrass ecosystems, on a short-term basis. Seagrass Zostera noltei was exposed to two pH levels (8.36 and 8.03) and three copper levels (nominal conce...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine Pollution Bulletin
Main Authors: de los Santos, Carmen B., Arenas, Francisco, Neuparth, Teresa, Santos, Miguel M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd 2019
Subjects:
Amphipod Gammarus-Locusta
Metal contamination
Climate-change
Life-history
Heavy-metals
Marine
Bioaccumulation
Exposure
Coastal
Metallothionein
Ocean acidification
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/14348
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.03.034
Description
Summary:We aimed to show how the predicted pH decrease in the ocean would alter the toxicity, bioconcentration and dietary transfer of trace metal copper on seagrass ecosystems, on a short-term basis. Seagrass Zostera noltei was exposed to two pH levels (8.36 and 8.03) and three copper levels (nominal concentrations, < 3, 30 and 300 mu g Cu L-1) in a factorial design during 21 days, while Gammarus Iocusta amphipods were continuously fed with the treated seagrass leaves. We found that the toxicity and bioconcentration of copper in seagrasses were not affected by pH, yet complex copper-pH interactions were observed in the seagrass photosynthesis. We demostrated that seagrasses can act as a copper source in the food web via direct consumption by herbivores. Future research need to investigate the interactive effects on a long-term basis, and to include biochemical and molecular endpoints to provide additional insights to the complex phisiological interactions observed. project "Ecological risk assessment of oils and hazardous and noxious substances in the NW Portuguese coast (ECORISK)" - North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2-O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) [NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000054] European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)European Union (EU) Portuguese Science and Technology FoundationPortuguese Foundation for Science and Technology [SFRH/BPD/119344/2016, SFRH/BPD/77912/2011] ARCOPOL plus - Improving maritime safety and pollution response through technology transfer, training & innovation project [2011-1/150]

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