Abyssal ascidians (Chordata, Tunicata) from the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, including a new Styela species and stomach content identifications.

Deep-sea benthic communities from the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, were sampled in JanuaryApril 2005 in an area located between 61S70S and 0W49W. We found a total of eight ascidian species that belong to five different families, of which one corresponded to a new species. These were: Protoholozoa pedunculata Kott, 1969; Corynascidia suhmi Herdman, 1882; Styela andeepensis Maggioni Tatin sp.

Anthropogenic microfibres flux in an Antarctic coastal ecosystem: The tip of an iceberg?

This study describes the occurrence of anthropogenic microfibres (AMFs) found in sediment trap samples collected at 25 m water depth in an Antarctic fjord (Potter Cove, King George/25 de Mayo Island) from 2012 to 2015. During visual sorting of samples, AMFs were detected and described, and a subset was confirmed, via FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy, as semi-synthetic cellulosic and polyacrylonitrile polymers. Estimated flux of AMF varied from 115 to 152,750 microfibres m throughout the studied period, with sizes ranging from 10 to 450 μm in length.

Role of suspension feeders in antarctic pelagic-benthic coupling: Trophic ecology and potential carbon sinks under climate change.

Sea-ice and coastal glacier loss in the Western Antarctic Peninsula open new ice-free areas. They allowing primary production and providing new seabed for colonisation, both acting as a negative feedback of climate change. However, the injection of sediment-laden runoff from the melting of land-terminating glaciers may reduce this feedback.

Deep-sea ascidians (Chordata, Tunicata) from the SW Atlantic: species richness with descriptions of two new species.

The understudied deep-sea benthic communities from the Southwestern Atlantic continental slope (200 m-3000 m depth) were sampled on August 2012 in an area located around 38°S that included the Mar del Plata submarine canyon. In these samplings we found a total of 16 ascidian species from six different families, of which two corresponded to new species. These were: Aplidium meridianum (Sluiter, 1906); Aplidium variabile (Herdman, 1886); Aplidium marplatensis Maggioni Tatián (sp.

Bioindicators and biomarkers of environmental pollution in the middle-lower basin of the Suquía River (Córdoba, Argentina).

The Suquía River middle-lower basin (Córdoba, Argentina) is subject to a strong anthropogenic impact because it receives pollutants from different sources. Recent studies have shown the importance and the need of approaching the monitoring process of water quality from integral perspectives through the use of chemical as well as biological methods. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the fish species Jenynsia multidentata as a bioindicator of environmental pollution in the middle-lower basin of the Suquía River using biotransformation and antioxidant enzymes as well as gill and liver histopathology as biomarkers.