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Life
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Ecotoxicity Effects of Metals and Microplastics on Aquatic Organisms
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Ecotoxicity Effects of Metals and Microplastics on Aquatic Organisms

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 4088

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Chiara Martino

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Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: pollutants; environmental stressors; marine species; climate change; species vulnerabilities; resilience

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, a wide range of anthropogenic contaminants have been released into aquatic ecosystems as a consequence of human activity, including such sources as industrial effluents, agricultural activities, urban waste, and increased urbanization. The aquatic biota is experiencing co-occurring climate change and pollution, especially in coastal areas and around urban zones, influencing the normal function of aquatic ecosystems. Metals and plastic products are widely used in human activities and are subsequently mostly released into the environment via wastewater or other pathways, posing serious threats to the aquatic biota. Being non-biodegradable, metals tend to persist in nature, leading to bio-accumulation in food chains and interacting with cellular components and molecular targets, which causes severe environmental and health issues. Microplastics (MPs) are produced by the natural degradation processes of large plastic products or by anthropogenic activities. To protect aquatic species and safeguard their ecosystems, it is crucial to identify the main sources of metals and MPs, their fate in the aquatic environment, and their effects on aquatic organisms. Achieving this will provide more sustainable and lasting measures to protect aquatic life from anthropogenic activities. Thus, ecotoxicological studies are crucial in deepening our knowledge about how these pollutants affect aquatic organisms, alone or acting as mixtures, as well as their effect when interacting with the rising temperatures caused by climate change.

Therefore, in this Special Issue, we invite investigators to contribute with original research articles, as well as review articles, covering the effects of metals and MP pollution on aquatic organisms.

Dr. Chiara Martino
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Life 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 2600 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 organisms
  • emerging contaminants
  • metals
  • microplastics
  • defense strategies
  • cell stress
  • heavy metals
  • environmental stress
  • pollution
  • ecotoxicology

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3059 KiB  
Article
Can Aluminum Affect Social Behavior and Cortisol Plasma Profile in the Neotropical Freshwater Teleost Astyanax lacustris (Teleostei: Characidae)?
by Natália Pires Vieira Morais de Faria, Bruno Cavalheiro Araújo, Bianca Mayumi Silva Kida, Raisa Pereira Abdalla, Diego dos Santos Brito, Renata Guimarães Moreira and Renato Massaaki Honji
Life 2024, 14(12), 1697; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14121697 - 21 Dec 2024
Viewed by 915
Abstract
Aluminum (Al) can cause endocrine disruption in aquatic animals, but assessments of animal social behavior in neotropical teleost fish species with importance for Brazilian aquaculture have still not been addressed so far, which can further complete this ecotoxicological knowledge. In order to evaluate [...] Read more.
Aluminum (Al) can cause endocrine disruption in aquatic animals, but assessments of animal social behavior in neotropical teleost fish species with importance for Brazilian aquaculture have still not been addressed so far, which can further complete this ecotoxicological knowledge. In order to evaluate the social behavior and plasma cortisol concentration of fish exposed to Al, we performed a 1 h acute exposure with Astyanax lacustris couples in three different experimental groups: control in neutral pH (CTL/n group), acid pH (pH/ac group), and aluminum in acid pH (Al/ac group; 2.0 mg L−1). An ethogram of social interactions between males and females and swimming activities were performed. Furthermore, the cortisol plasma concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent, and the gonadal maturation stage of the animals was evaluated by histology. Adult and mature females in the CTL/n and pH/ac groups were more aggressive and active than mature males, including several attacks on the male. Moreover, males did not present attack behavior in these groups at any time, but did show submission behavior and constant avoidance of female attacks. In the Al/ac, females did not attack males, couple decreased swimming activity, a repetitive movement toward the aquarium surface, and high mucus production were observed, making the water cloudy. Regarding cortisol plasma concentration, males had higher cortisol plasma concentrations than females in the CTL/n and pH/ac groups, which was not observed in the Al/ac group. Therefore, Al in addition to being described in the literature as an endocrine disruptor, it can be considered as behavioral disrupter in A. lacustris in this important freshwater species cultivated in South America. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotoxicity Effects of Metals and Microplastics on Aquatic Organisms)
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11 pages, 4032 KiB  
Article
Between Life and Death: Sea Urchin Embryos Undergo Peculiar DNA Fragmentation after Exposure to Vanadium, Cadmium, Gadolinium, and Selenium
by Chiara Martino and Roberto Chiarelli
Life 2024, 14(10), 1296; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14101296 - 12 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1152
Abstract
Exogenous DNA damage represents one of the most harmful outcomes produced by environmental, physical, or chemical agents. Here, a comparative analysis of DNA fragmentation was carried out on Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos exposed to four common pollutants of the marine environment: vanadium, [...] Read more.
Exogenous DNA damage represents one of the most harmful outcomes produced by environmental, physical, or chemical agents. Here, a comparative analysis of DNA fragmentation was carried out on Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos exposed to four common pollutants of the marine environment: vanadium, cadmium, gadolinium and selenium. Using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, fragmented DNA was quantified and localized in apoptotic cells mapping whole-mount embryos. This is the first study reporting how different chemicals are able to activate distinctive apoptotic features in sea urchin embryos, categorized as follows: (i) cell-selective apoptosis, showing DNA fragmentation restricted to a subset of extremely damaged cells, acting as an embryo survival mechanism; or (ii) total apoptosis, with fragmented DNA widespread throughout the cells of the entire embryo, leading to its death. Also, this is the first report of the effects of Se exposure on P. lividus sea urchin embryos. These data confirm the TUNEL assay as the most suitable test to study DNA fragmentation in the sea urchin embryo model system. Taken together, this research highlights embryos’ ability to find alternative pathways and set physiological limits for development under stress conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotoxicity Effects of Metals and Microplastics on Aquatic Organisms)
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17 pages, 4742 KiB  
Article
Rapid and Accurate Ecotoxicological Assessment of Heavy Metals Using Cyprinus carpio Cells
by Yun Haeng Lee, Myeong Uk Kuk, Ji Ho Park, Hojun Lee, Haneur Lee, Moon Kyoung So, Jee Hee Yoon, Yoo Jin Lee, Duyeol Kim, Byeonghyeon So, Minseon Kim, Jihae Park, Taejun Han and Joon Tae Park
Life 2024, 14(9), 1119; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14091119 - 5 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 975
Abstract
Heavy metals have serious negative effects on various aquatic organisms, and therefore rapid and accurate ecotoxicological assessments of heavy metals are necessary. Fish-derived cells sensitive to heavy metals have been used as valuable tools for ecotoxicological assessments. However, this method requires a minimum [...] Read more.
Heavy metals have serious negative effects on various aquatic organisms, and therefore rapid and accurate ecotoxicological assessments of heavy metals are necessary. Fish-derived cells sensitive to heavy metals have been used as valuable tools for ecotoxicological assessments. However, this method requires a minimum toxicity treatment time of 96 h, which limits its use when rapid ecotoxicological assessments are required or ecotoxicological assessments of a large number of toxicants are performed. In this study, these limitations were overcome by adjusting parameters including the concentration of fetal bovine serum (FBS) in the medium and the treatment time of the toxicant. Specifically, we found that the maximum time for fish cells to remain unstarved was 6 h when using a medium containing 1% FBS. We applied both parameters to the ecotoxicological assessment (using a medium containing 1% FBS for the toxicity assessment and treating the toxicant for only 6 h). Surprisingly, these adjusted parameters allowed us to obtain faster and more accurate data than the traditional assessment. This improvement was due to the new assessment conditions that minimized the possibility that the growth-inducing effects of nutrients present in excess in the medium could interfere with the cellular response to the toxicant. The accuracy of this assessment was not limited to measuring the toxicity of heavy metals. In conclusion, we have established an ecotoxicity assessment that can generate rapid and accurate data on heavy metals. This new platform will become the cornerstone of rapid and accurate ecotoxicity assessments of heavy metals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotoxicity Effects of Metals and Microplastics on Aquatic Organisms)
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13 pages, 657 KiB  
Opinion
Microbial Ecotoxicology—40 Years on
by Tim Ford
Life 2025, 15(4), 514; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15040514 - 21 Mar 2025
Viewed by 275
Abstract
Although ecotoxicology was emerging as a field through the 1970s, the incorporation of microbial indicators into the framework has been slower to evolve. The exploration of microbes as sensitive toxicity tests began in the late 70s and early 80s (with the emergence of [...] Read more.
Although ecotoxicology was emerging as a field through the 1970s, the incorporation of microbial indicators into the framework has been slower to evolve. The exploration of microbes as sensitive toxicity tests began in the late 70s and early 80s (with the emergence of Microtox® and other simple tests). However, the applications have been limited, beyond water and wastewater screening. This opinion piece reflects my own perspective on the field—from my early excitement in the 1990s for its possibilities, to a sense of frustration at the slow pace of new development and applications in the field—despite the surge of “omics” options. While microbiology still fails to lead the field of ecotoxicology, the potential remains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecotoxicity Effects of Metals and Microplastics on Aquatic Organisms)
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