A multi-taxonomic framework for assessing relative petrochemical vulnerability of marine biodiversity in the Gulf of Mexico.

A fundamental understanding of the impact of petrochemicals and other stressors on marine biodiversity is critical for effective management, restoration, recovery, and mitigation initiatives. As species-specific information on levels of petrochemical exposure and toxicological response are lacking for the majority of marine species, a trait-based assessment to rank species vulnerabilities to petrochemical activities in the Gulf of Mexico can provide a more comprehensive and effective means to prioritize species, habitats, and ecosystems for improved management, restoration and recovery. To initiate and standardize this process, we developed a trait-based framework, applicable to a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate species, that can be used to rank relative population vulnerabilities of species to petrochemical activities in the Gulf of Mexico.

20th Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms (PRIMO 20): Global issues and fundamental mechanisms caused by pollutant stress in marine and freshwater organisms.

The 20th Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms (PRIMO 20) conference provided a forum for scientists from around the world to communicate novel toxicological research findings specifically focused on aquatic organisms, by combining applied and basic research at the intersection of environmental and mechanistic toxicology. The work highlighted in this special issue of Aquatic Toxicology, a special issue of Marine Environmental Research, and presented through posters and presentations, encompass important and emerging topics in freshwater and marine toxicology. This includes multiple types of emerging contaminants including microplastics and UV filtering chemicals.

Bioreactivity and Sunlight Potentiation of Hybrid Polymer Nanoparticles in Oysters, .

Polymer dynamic organic theranostic spheres (PolyDOTS) are being studied as a photothermal ablation treatment of cancer and are activated by blue or near-infrared light. PolyDOTS or related hybrid polymeric nanoparticle products could be mass-produced, and it is expected that they, like any other engineered nanoparticle (ENP), could be found in aquatic environments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential toxicity of these types of hybrid nanoparticles on nontarget marine organisms.

Dietary Uptake of Cu Sorbed to Hydrous Iron Oxide is Linked to Cellular Toxicity and Feeding Inhibition in a Benthic Grazer.

Whereas feeding inhibition caused by exposure to contaminants has been extensively documented, the underlying mechanism(s) are less well understood. For this study, the behavior of several key feeding processes, including ingestion rate and assimilation efficiency, that affect the dietary uptake of Cu were evaluated in the benthic grazer Lymnaea stagnalis following 4-5 h exposures to Cu adsorbed to synthetic hydrous ferric oxide (Cu-HFO). The particles were mixed with a cultured alga to create algal mats with Cu exposures spanning nearly 3 orders of magnitude at variable or constant Fe concentrations, thereby allowing first order and interactive effects of Cu and Fe to be evaluated.