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Biology
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Advances in Aquatic Ecological Disasters and Toxicology
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Advances in Aquatic Ecological Disasters and Toxicology

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1033

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jinlin Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Interests: Ulva; Sargassum; algal bloom; ecological restoration; marine development and management; resource utilization; hydrophyte; intertidal zone; biodiversity; water quality; nitrogen cycle; phosphorus cycle; epizoan; epiphyte
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xiangsheng Hong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Interests: aquatic ecotoxicity; neurotoxicity of pharmaceuticals; fish behavior; hazard and risk assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the vast natural world, aquatic ecosystems are vital for Earth's life support system, maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance while supporting human society's sustainable development. However, rapid industrialization, urbanization, and human interference pose unprecedented challenges, with aquatic ecological disasters and toxicology being of particular concern.

The pollution of the water environment—caused by natural factors or human activities—can severely impact the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. Examples of such pollution include biological pollution like red tides, algal blooms, oil spills, and invasive species, and chemical pollution such as heavy metals, pesticides, perfluorinated compounds, flame retardants, and plastic microparticles. These events can lead to the death of aquatic organisms, a reduction in biodiversity, and the disruption of food chains. Additionally, they threaten human health and adversely affect fisheries and economic resources.

We have established a Special Issue titled "Advances in Aquatic Ecological Disasters and Toxicology". This Special Issue aims to gather the latest research in this field to better respond to the challenges posed by aquatic ecological disasters and toxicology, ultimately protecting the health and sustainable development of aquatic ecosystems.

We invite submissions on topics including, but not limited to, the impact of aquatic ecological disasters on organisms and ecosystems, the toxic effects of pollutants on aquatic life, and the migration, transformation, and bioaccumulation of pollutants in water environments.

We welcome your submissions.

Dr. Jinlin Liu
Dr. Xiangsheng Hong
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. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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 ecological disasters
  • aquatic toxicology
  • aquatic ecosystem
  • algal blooms
  • pollutants

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 6680 KiB  
Article
Early Vascular Developmental Toxicity and Underlying Mechanisms of 1-Bromo-3,6-dichlorocarbazole (1-B-36-CCZ) in Zebrafish Larvae
by Jie Gu, Ziyu Gong, Yue Fan, Jun Hu, Liguo Guo, Wenming Pei and Daqiang Yin
Biology 2025, 14(6), 659; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14060659 - 6 Jun 2025
Abstract
Polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs) are emerging persistent organic pollutants that have attracted widespread attention due to their environmental occurrence and potential ecological risks. 1-Bromo-3,6-dichlorocarbazole (1-B-36-CCZ), which is a typical homolog of PHCZs produced as a byproduct in the dye industry, has been widely detected [...] Read more.
Polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs) are emerging persistent organic pollutants that have attracted widespread attention due to their environmental occurrence and potential ecological risks. 1-Bromo-3,6-dichlorocarbazole (1-B-36-CCZ), which is a typical homolog of PHCZs produced as a byproduct in the dye industry, has been widely detected in various environmental media. In this study, we employed an integrated approach using an in vivo zebrafish model and network toxicology methods to systematically evaluate the vascular developmental toxicity of 1-B-36-CCZ and elucidate its underlying mechanisms. The experimental results revealed that the 96 h-LC50 of 1-B-36-CCZ in zebrafish larvae was 4.52 mg/L. Sublethal exposures (0.045–45 μg/L) significantly induced an increase in heart rate (p < 0.05) and an enlargement of the pericardial edema area (p < 0.01). Using Tg(flk:eGFP) transgenic zebrafish embryos to assess vascular toxicity at concentrations of 0, 0.045, 0.45, 4.5, and 45 μg/L, we observed that 1-B-36-CCZ exposure significantly reduced the length and anastomosis rate of intersegmental vessels (ISVs) at 30 hpf, and inhibited the development of the common cardinal vein (CCV) at 48 and 72 hpf as well as the subintestinal vessel (SIV) at 72 hpf. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis further revealed that the expression of key angiogenic genes (flk, kdr, and vegfa) was significantly downregulated, thus corroborating the phenotypic observations. Moreover, a “compound–target–pathway” network model predicted that SRC kinase is a key molecular target for 1-B-36-CCZ action. Enrichment analysis of target protein-coding genes and verapamil replication experiments indicated that 1-B-36-CCZ may cause damage to early vascular development in zebrafish larvae by altering intracellular calcium ion content through the activation of the SRC-mediated calcium ion signaling pathway. This study provides new experimental evidence for elucidating the toxic mechanisms of PHCZ-type pollutants and offers a theoretical basis for environmental health risk assessments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Aquatic Ecological Disasters and Toxicology)
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18 pages, 1787 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Lethal Effects of Combined P-tert-Butylcatechol and L-Lysine on Microcystis aeruginosa
by Heyun Jiao, Gangwei Jiao, Ruitong Jiang, Yifei Shen, Peimin He and Liu Shao
Biology 2025, 14(6), 655; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14060655 - 5 Jun 2025
Abstract
Allelochemicals are recognized as promising algaecides due to their environmental safety. Para-tert-butylcatechol (TBC) and L-lysine exhibit significant potential in suppressing harmful algal blooms (HABs); however, their combined effects and algae inhibition mechanisms remain unelucidated. Therefore, this study systematically investigated the growth inhibition of [...] Read more.
Allelochemicals are recognized as promising algaecides due to their environmental safety. Para-tert-butylcatechol (TBC) and L-lysine exhibit significant potential in suppressing harmful algal blooms (HABs); however, their combined effects and algae inhibition mechanisms remain unelucidated. Therefore, this study systematically investigated the growth inhibition of Microcystis aeruginosa by TBC and L-lysine individually and in combination, while simultaneously examining their combined effects on algal growth, cell membrane integrity, photosynthetic activity, antioxidant responses, and microcystin production. The results revealed a significant interactive effect between TBC (0.04 mg/L) and L-lysine (1 mg/L), achieving over 90% growth inhibition within 96 h. The combined treatment significantly inhibited M. aeruginosa growth through impaired photosynthetic efficiency and elevated oxidative stress. Compared to the control group, the treatment group exhibited a continuous decline in chlorophyll-a content, phycobiliprotein levels, Fv/Fm, YII, α, and rETRmax, while phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity decreased by 96.48% by day 8. And antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH), showed a progressive increase in activity. In addition, the structure and integrity of the cell membrane of M. aeruginosa were damaged after treatment, and the conductivity of the treatment groups increased continuously from 2.32 to 4.63 μs/cm. In addition, under combined treatment, intra- and extracellular microcystin levels initially increased (peaking at day 2) but sharply declined thereafter, becoming significantly lower than controls by day 8. These findings highlight the potential of combining TBC and L-lysine as an eco-friendly and cost-effective strategy for mitigating M. aeruginosa-dominated harmful algal blooms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Aquatic Ecological Disasters and Toxicology)
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22 pages, 6009 KiB  
Article
Spatio-Temporal Projections of the Distribution of the Canopy-Forming Algae Sargassum in the Western North Pacific Under Climate Change Scenarios Using the MAXENT Model
by Sun Kyeong Choi, Young Baek Son, Hyun Woo Jeong, Seonggil Go and Sang Rul Park
Biology 2025, 14(6), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14060590 - 22 May 2025
Viewed by 253
Abstract
Canopy-forming algae play an important role in coastal ecosystems because these species are highly productive and provide habitats and shelter for numerous marine organisms. Sargassum is the main genus of canopy-forming algae in the western North Pacific, but despite the importance of their [...] Read more.
Canopy-forming algae play an important role in coastal ecosystems because these species are highly productive and provide habitats and shelter for numerous marine organisms. Sargassum is the main genus of canopy-forming algae in the western North Pacific, but despite the importance of their ecological role, studies on the changes in their distribution are still scarce. Based on the present distribution of four Sargassum species, this study predicted the geographic distribution of future habitats (2030s, 2060s, and 2090s) under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios. The environmental variables predicted from the sixth phase of the coupled model intercomparison project (CMIP6) had different impacts depending on the species, with current velocity and water temperature showing high contributions in all four species. According to the projections, three Sargassum species (S. horneri, S. macrocarpum, and S. patens) are expected to maintain a higher habitat suitability index (HSI) and suitable habitat (MAXENT ≥ 0.4) through the 2090s under the SSP1-1.9 scenario. However, under the SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios, the HSI of the species is projected to gradually decrease in the southern coastal waters of the Korean peninsula and increase in the East Sea (North Korea), with these results intensifying under the SSP5-8.5 scenario. On the other hand, S. piluliferum was found to increase its HSI and habitat under the highest emission scenarios. All Sargassum species are predicted to shift northward from 0.8° N to 3.8° N by the 2090s under the SSP5-8.5 scenario. Although many marine protected areas exist off the coasts of South Korea and Japan, suitable Sargassum habitats were found to be located within protected reserves between 47.1% and 61.2%, depending on the scenario. These findings on Sargassum provide distributional predictions for ecological conservation strategies and provide new evidence for the need for climate change efforts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Aquatic Ecological Disasters and Toxicology)
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23 pages, 5225 KiB  
Article
Community Characteristics and Potential Risk of Nekton in Waters Adjacent to Ningde Nuclear Power Plant in Fujian, China
by Wen Huang, Biqi Zheng, Dong Wen, Feipeng Wang, Lijing Fan, Zefeng Yu, Wei Liu and Shuang Zhao
Biology 2025, 14(5), 481; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14050481 - 27 Apr 2025
Viewed by 389
Abstract
The impact of bio-invasions and abnormal aggregations of marine life on the safety of cooling water systems in coastal nuclear power plants (NPPs) is significant and cannot be overlooked. In this study, we conducted 12 consecutive monthly surveys from September 2022 to August [...] Read more.
The impact of bio-invasions and abnormal aggregations of marine life on the safety of cooling water systems in coastal nuclear power plants (NPPs) is significant and cannot be overlooked. In this study, we conducted 12 consecutive monthly surveys from September 2022 to August 2023 in the waters near Ningde NPP in Fujian, China, focusing on nekton species composition, dominant species, abundance, biomass, and diversity indices. We conducted statistical analyses to examine potential correlations between the community structure of these organisms and environmental factors. We recorded 120 species of nekton that belonged to 20 orders, 57 families, and 92 genera, including 72 species of fish, 23 species of shrimp, 19 species of crabs, and 6 species of cephalopods. Pearson and redundancy analyses showed that pH, DIP, and inorganic nitrogen were the main environmental factors driving the observed temporal changes in the nekton community structure in the seawater intake area. We also found that May to October is the peak period for nekton abundance and biomass, and during this time, there is a high risk of nekton blocking the cooling water system of the NPP. These results are of practical significance for NPP managers to prevent and control the clogging of the cooling water system by marine organisms, and the diversity and abundance data provide a theoretical basis for bioecological restoration and management of the area around the Ningde NPP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Aquatic Ecological Disasters and Toxicology)
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