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Applied Sciences
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Aquatic Ecotoxicology and Ecological Risk Assessment: Integrating Bioindicators and Biomarkers
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Aquatic Ecotoxicology and Ecological Risk Assessment: Integrating Bioindicators and Biomarkers

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 6591

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Antonio Calisi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science and Technological Innovation, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Viale Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy
Interests: environmental pollution; soil ecotoxicology; bioindicator; biomarker; biomonitoring; water quality; agroecosystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Tiziano Verri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: comparative physiology; animal model physiology; biophysics; functional genomics and bioinformatics; aquaculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Francesco Dondero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science and Technological Innovation, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Viale Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy
Interests: system biology; environmental biotechnology; soil ecotoxicology; molecular ecotoxicology; “omics” sciences
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aquatics environments and their related ecosystem services (climate regulation, primary production, molecular oxygen formation, food provisioning, and recreational experiences) are threatened by many human activities around the world and are affected by both point and nonpoint source pollution. Numerous chemicals can be simultaneously present in an aquatic environment and the chemical interactions in a mixture can cause complex and substantial changes in the pure chemical properties of its constituents, including their bioavailability and toxicity. For this reason, there is a growing awareness that focusing mainly on chemical data of pollutant concentration in environmental matrices is insufficient to reliably assess the potential risks for both environmental and human health. The growing attention being devoted to these concerns has promoted the development of environmental “diagnostic” tools to allow for the early warning detection of pollution exposure. The need to detect the biological effects of chemical contaminants both at low concentrations and in complex mixtures has increased the study of the relationships between exposure to chemical contaminants and alterations in several biochemical and cellular processes in the organisms in order to use the latter as markers of exposure and early response to chemical contaminants. Today, biomarkers are an essential component of environmental monitoring programs in several countries in support of the commonly used chemical monitoring. This Special Issue aims to focus on insights and perspectives in the biomarker approach, including the detection of the impact of biological pollution in aquatic ecotoxicology. In particular, topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Bioindicators and biomarkers useful in aquatic ecotoxicology and ecological risk assessment.
  • New generation of high-throughput molecular biomarkers.
  • Environmental monitoring programs.
  • New emerging pollutants (nanomaterials, micro/nano-plastics, per and poly fluoroalkyl substances -PFAS, etc.).
  • New methodologies for detection of aquatic toxicology and marine pollution.
  • Newly bred “invasive” species and their impact on aquatic ecosystems.

Submissions are welcome for both original research and review articles.

Dr. Antonio Calisi
Prof. Dr. Tiziano Verri
Prof. Dr. Franćesco Dondero
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aquatic toxicology
  • marine pollution
  • emerging pollutants
  • invasive species
  • new methodologies

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 199 KiB  
Editorial
Integrating Bioindicators and Biomarkers in Aquatic Ecotoxicology: An Overview
by Antonio Calisi
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(21), 11920; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132111920 - 31 Oct 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2648
Abstract
Water is not only a commercial product, but also a common good and a limited resource that must be protected and used sustainably, in terms of both quality and quantity [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Ecotoxicology and Ecological Risk Assessment: Integrating Bioindicators and Biomarkers)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

13 pages, 1973 KiB  
Article
Energy Metabolism-Related Arginine Kinase Gene Expression in Mud Crab (Macrophthalmus japonicus) Following Irgarol Exposure
by Won-Seok Kim, Kiyun Park, Jiwon Park and Ihn-Sil Kwak
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(5), 2489; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15052489 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 587
Abstract
Antifouling paints are essentially used to prevent biological fouling of marine vessels and structures, but their release into the environment has resulted in various marine ecosystem problems. Irgarol, a representative antifouling paint substance, is well known for its direct effects on plankton productivity, [...] Read more.
Antifouling paints are essentially used to prevent biological fouling of marine vessels and structures, but their release into the environment has resulted in various marine ecosystem problems. Irgarol, a representative antifouling paint substance, is well known for its direct effects on plankton productivity, but studies on its harmful effects on estuarine organisms are limited. This study aimed to determine the impact of irgarol exposure at the transcriptional level in Macrophthalmus japonicus, a highly dominant crab species in estuaries. To this end, we characterized the M. japonicus arginine kinase (AK) gene, which plays a role in energy metabolism in invertebrates, and examined its expression levels in response to irgarol exposure. Consequently, AK was identified as a highly prevalent enzyme in invertebrate species, including crustaceans and insects. Following irgarol exposure, the gills of M. japonicus exhibited relatively elevated AK gene expression compared to the control group at 4 and 7 days of exposure. In addition, elevated AK gene expression was observed in the hepatopancreas. Notably, the relatively low irgarol exposure concentrations of 1 and 10 μg L−1 demonstrated comparatively higher AK gene expression in the hepatopancreas than the relatively high irgarol concentration of 30 μg L−1. The results of this study imply that irgarol exposure may disrupt the equilibrium of energy metabolic processes regulated by AK gene expression in the M. japonicus crab. Moreover, the sustained environmental accumulation of irgarol indicates that it may serve as a significant disturbance factor within estuarine ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Ecotoxicology and Ecological Risk Assessment: Integrating Bioindicators and Biomarkers)
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17 pages, 1219 KiB  
Article
Cytotoxicity and Antioxidant Defences in Euplotes aediculatus Exposed to Single and Binary Mixtures of Heavy Metals and Nanoparticles
by Govindhasamay R. Varatharajan, Antonio Calisi, Santosh Kumar, Daizy Bharti, Francesco Dondero and Antonietta La Terza
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(12), 5058; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14125058 - 10 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1202
Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyse the cytotoxicity of heavy metals (HMs) and nanoparticles (NPs) on populations of the ciliated protist Euplotes aediculatus. We used ecotoxicological tests, antioxidant assays, and the MixTOX tool in Microsoft® Excel to evaluate the [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to analyse the cytotoxicity of heavy metals (HMs) and nanoparticles (NPs) on populations of the ciliated protist Euplotes aediculatus. We used ecotoxicological tests, antioxidant assays, and the MixTOX tool in Microsoft® Excel to evaluate the toxic effect of HMs and NPs in single and binary mixtures on E. aediculatus and to detect the type of interaction between them. Based on our results, the order of toxicity was Cu > Cd >> Zn (1 h and 24 h) for HMs and ZnO > CuO >> TiO2 >> SiO2 (1 h) and CuO > ZnO >> TiO2 >> SiO2 (24 h) for NPs. The interaction between metals in binary mixtures was predominantly synergistic at low doses and antagonistic at high doses. The type of interaction depende on the metals present and their respective concentrations. Furthermore, both HMs and NPs were shown to trigger effective antioxidant responses in E. aediculatus. Our research highlights the importance of considering the combined effects of HMs and NP exposure and their potency in risk assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Ecotoxicology and Ecological Risk Assessment: Integrating Bioindicators and Biomarkers)
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16 pages, 3030 KiB  
Article
Effects of Temperature and Salinity on the LMS (Lysosomal Membrane Stability) Biomarker in Clams Donax trunculus and Chamelea gallina
by Paula Soms-Molina, Concepción Martínez-Gómez, Esther Zuñiga, Miguel Rodilla and Silvia Falco
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 2712; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14072712 - 23 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1495
Abstract
Population of clams Donax trunculus and Chamelea gallina have been declining significantly in recent decades, and environmental pollution and accelerated global warming have been proposed as contributing factors to this decline, in addition to overfishing. Lysosomal membrane stability (LMS) is a sensitive indicator [...] Read more.
Population of clams Donax trunculus and Chamelea gallina have been declining significantly in recent decades, and environmental pollution and accelerated global warming have been proposed as contributing factors to this decline, in addition to overfishing. Lysosomal membrane stability (LMS) is a sensitive indicator of health status of the organisms. In this study, we investigate the LMS in these species after exposure for 21 days to nine combined conditions of water temperature (12, 20, and 27.5 °C) and salinity ranges (27–28, 32–33, and 37–38). LMS was assessed in living hemocytes by using the neutral red retention assay. Mortality and the condition index of the organisms were evaluated as supporting parameters. The results indicated interspecies differences in the LMS under similar environmental conditions. Overall, LMS was found to be more sensitive to temperature than to salinity changes. Although both species can tolerate changes in either salinity or temperature seawater conditions, the tolerance range is narrower for D. trunculus, showing a significant cytotoxicity (NRRT < 50 min) at temperatures above 27.5 °C and salinities above 32, and 100% mortality at 27.5 °C and a low salinity range (27–28). This study is the first to assess the combined effect of temperature and salinity on the LMS in C. gallina and D. trunculus, and provide necessary information before using LMS as contaminant-related biomarker in field studies with these species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Ecotoxicology and Ecological Risk Assessment: Integrating Bioindicators and Biomarkers)
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