Adding functions to marine infrastructure: Pollutant accumulation, physiological and microbiome changes in sponges attached to floating pontoons inside marinas.

The rate of introduction of man-made habitats in coastal environments is growing at an unprecedented pace, as a consequence of the expansion of urban areas. Floating installations, due to their unique hydrodynamic features, are able to provide great opportunities for enhancing water detoxification through the use of sessile, filtering organisms. We assessed whether the application of sponges to floating pontoons could function as a tool for biomonitoring organic and inorganic pollutants and for improving water quality inside a moderately contaminated marina in the NW Mediterranean.

A multi-bioassay integrated approach to assess antifouling potential of extracts from the Mediterranean sponge Ircinia oros.

The phylum Porifera and their symbionts produce a wide variety of bioactive compounds, playing a central role in their ecology and evolution. In this study, four different extracts (obtained by non-polar and semi-polar extraction methodologies) of the Mediterranean sponge Ircinia oros were tested through a multi-bioassay integrated approach to assess their antifouling potential. Tests were performed using three common species, associated with three different endpoints: the marine bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri (inhibition of bioluminescence), the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum (inhibition of growth), and different development stages of the brackish water serpulid Ficopomatus enigmaticus (gametes: sperm motion, vitality inhibition and cellular damage; larvae: development; adults: AChE (acetylcholinesterase)-inhibitory activity).

Does salinity variation increase synergistic effects of triclosan and carbon nanotubes on Mytilus galloprovincialis? Responses on adult tissues and sperms.

The use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is rapidly increasing and several scientific studies have addressed their toxicological properties. However, only a very small number of publications have deal with the interaction between CNTs and other molecules. Triclosan (TCS) is an antibacterial agent used in personal care and household products.

Soluble esterases as biomarkers of neurotoxic compounds in the widespread serpulid (Fauvel, 1923).

The characterization of soluble cholinesterases (ChEs) together with carboxylesterases (CEs) in as suitable biomarkers of neurotoxicity was the main aim of this study. ChEs of were characterized considering enzymatic activity, substrate affinity (acetyl-, butyryl-, propionylthiocholine), kinetic parameters ( and ) and response to model inhibitors (eserine hemisulfate, iso-OMPA, BW284C51), and carbamates (carbofuran, methomyl, aldicarb, and carbaryl). CEs were characterized based on enzymatic activity, kinetic parameters and response to carbamates (carbofuran, methomyl, aldicarb, and carbaryl).