Potential Use of Biomarkers in Zooplankton as Early Warning Signal of Ecotoxicological Risk in the Marine Food Chain

• Published in: Marine Ecology
• Main Authors: MINUTOLI R., GUGLIELMO L., FOSSI, MARIA CRISTINA
• Other Authors: Minutoli, R., Fossi, MARIA CRISTINA, Guglielmo, L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2002
• Subjects: zooplanktonic crustacean; benthic decapod; marine environment; brackish environment; biomarker; esterases; Antarctic; Faro; Palermo; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Euphausia superba; Copepods
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11365/40383; https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0485.2002.tb00027.x

Zooplankton is an essential component of the marine and brackish food chains. The ecotoxicological risk of zooplanktonic communities, estimated by the modern methodological approach of biomarkers, can be used as an early warning signal of ecosystem health. The aim of this project is to estimate the potential use of several bio- markers (esterases, mixed function oxidases, porphyrins) in zooplanktonic organisms. Studies were carried out with different zooplanktonic crustaceans: the copepods Acartia margalefi and Acartia latisetosa collected in Ganzirri Lake (Messina); the mysid Siriella clausi collected in Faro Lake (Messina); the mysids Diamysis bahirensis, Siriella armata and Mysidopsis gibbosa collected in Stagnone di Marsala (Palermo); the Antarctic euphausiids Euphausia crystallorophias and Euphausia superba; the amphipod Streetsia challengeri and the euphausiid Meganycthiphanes norvegica collected after a shore-stranding along Messina's Ionian coast. Moreover, experiments were car- ried out with the benthic decapods Eriphia verrucosa and Pachygrapsus marmoratus from a rocky shore of Messina's Ionian coast. Acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) was determined in homogenates of whole organisms. The key result of this project con- cerns the different AChE activity basal values of different crustacean species. Particular attention should be paid to the difference in basal activity found between the Antarctic and the Mediterranean species.