Comparison of biofilm-covered microplastics and sand particles as vectors of PCB-153 to Paracentrotus lividus.

The microplastics (MPs) vector effect of environmental contaminants (such as polychlorinated biphenyls-PCBs) to organism tissues is currently one of the major concerns regarding MPs pollution in the marine environment. The relative importance of MPs as vectors for the bioaccumulation of contaminants to marine organisms compared to other naturally occurring particles has been poorly investigated and never by using biofilm-covered particles. The present study compares the role of biofilm-covered microplastics and sand particles as vectors for the transfer and bioaccumulation of ¹⁴C-PCB-153 into various body compartments of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus.

Experimental Evidence of Ciguatoxin Accumulation and Depuration in Carnivorous Lionfish.

Ciguatera poisoning is a food intoxication associated with the consumption of fish or shellfish contaminated, through trophic transfer, with ciguatoxins (CTXs). In this study, we developed an experimental model to assess the trophic transfer of CTXs from herbivorous parrotfish, , to carnivorous lionfish, . During a 6-week period, juvenile lionfish were fed naturally contaminated parrotfish fillets at a daily dose of 0.

Occurrence of epibenthic dinoflagellates in relation to biotic substrates and to environmental factors in Southern Mediterranean (Bizerte Bay and Lagoon, Tunisia): An emphasis on the harmful Ostreopsis spp., Prorocentrum lima and Coolia monotis.

Harmful events associated with epibenthic dinoflagellates, have been reported more frequently over the last decades. Occurrence of potentially toxic benthic dinoflagellates, on the leaves of two magnoliophytes (Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera noltei) and thalli of the macroalgae (Ulva rigida), was monitored over one year (From May 2015 to April 2016) in the Bizerte Bay and Lagoon (North of Tunisia, Southern Mediterranean Sea). The investigated lagoon is known to be highly anthropized.

Impact of two plastic-derived chemicals, the Bisphenol A and the di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, exposure on the marine toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium pacificum.

The effects of two plastic-derived chemicals: Bisphenol A (BPA) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) were assessed on abundance and physiological responses of the marine toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrim pacificum. During 7days experiment, A. pacificum was exposed to different levels of BPA and DEHP (separately and in mixture).

Effects of copper and butyltin compounds on the growth, photosynthetic activity and toxin production of two HAB dinoflagellates: The planktonic Alexandrium catenella and the benthic Ostreopsis cf. ovata.

Controlled laboratory experiments were conducted to test the effects of copper (Cu) and butyltins (BuT) on the growth, photosynthetic activity and toxin content of two HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) dinoflagellates, the planktonic Alexandrium catenella and the benthic Ostreopsis cf. ovata. Microalgae were exposed to increasing concentrations of Cu (10 to 31 nM) or BuT (0.

New insights on the species-specific allelopathic interactions between macrophytes and marine HAB dinoflagellates.

Macrophytes are known to release allelochemicals that have the ability to inhibit the proliferation of their competitors. Here, we investigated the effects of the fresh leaves of two magnoliophytes (Zostera noltei and Cymodocea nodosa) and thalli of the macroalgae Ulva rigida on three HAB-forming benthic dinoflagellates (Ostreopsis cf. ovata, Prorocentrum lima, and Coolia monotis).

Toxicity and Growth Assessments of Three Thermophilic Benthic Dinoflagellates (Ostreopsis cf. ovata, Prorocentrum lima and Coolia monotis) Developing in the Southern Mediterranean Basin.

Harmful benthic dinoflagellates, usually developing in tropical areas, are expanding to temperate ecosystems facing water warming. Reports on harmful benthic species are particularly scarce in the Southern Mediterranean Sea. For the first time, three thermophilic benthic dinoflagellates ( cf.