Journal Article

The Mediterranean limpet Patella caerulea (Gastropoda, Mollusca) to assess marine ecotoxicological risk: a case study of Tunisian coasts contaminated by metals

Leignel, Vincent, Zaidi, Mariem, Metais, Isabelle, Athmouni, Khaled, Ayadi, Habib

2022

Overview

Participants in the coastal socio-economy of the Mediterranean Sea, such as industries, aquaculture, urban populations, conglomerates, and tourists, create intense anthropogenic pressures on marine ecosystems (such as the release of trace metals). This raises concerns about their impact on the surrounding environment and on marine organisms, including those collected for human consumption. This study introduces the possibility of using Patella caerulea (Linnaeus 1758), indigenous to the Mediterranean Sea, as a biosentinel of marine pollution. This study proposes coupling environmental (bioaccumulation) and toxicological (redox homeostasis) measures of bioavailability with genetic variability (COI mtDNA) assessments. Concentrations of six trace metals (cadmium, copper, iron, lead, nickel, and zinc) were measured in surface seawater and in P. caerulea individuals collected from four coastal stations on the Tunisian coast where different levels of metal contamination have occurred. The quantified biomarkers involved the determination of antioxidant defense enzymes, catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the measurement of lipid peroxidation indicated by malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Our study identified critical levels of metal contamination among locations in the Gulf of Gabes. Concomitantly, the induction of antioxidant biomarkers (especially SOD and GPX) was observed, highlighting the potential of P. caerulea to acclimate to stressful pollution conditions. Molecular analysis of COI (mtDNA) revealed low discrimination between the four P. caerulea populations, highlighting the role of marine currents in the Mediterranean Sea in the dispersal and passive transportation of limpet larvae, allowing an exchange of individuals among physically separated, P. caerulea populations.

• Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg,Springer Nature B.V,Springer Verlag
• Subject: Animals / Anthropogenic factors / antioxidant activity / antioxidant biomarkers / Antioxidants / Antioxidants - analysis / Aquaculture / Aquatic Pollution / Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution / Bioaccumulation / Bioavailability / Biomarkers / Cadmium / case studies / Catalase / Chemical analysis / coasts / Conglomerates / Contamination / copper / Coupling (molecular) / DNA, Mitochondrial / Earth and Environmental Science / Ecosystem / Ecotoxicology / Environment / Environmental Chemistry / Environmental Health / Environmental Monitoring / Environmental science / Environmental Sciences / Gastropoda / Genetic variability / genetic variation / Glutathione / Glutathione peroxidase / Heavy metals / Homeostasis / Human influences / humans / iron / Larvae / limpets / Lipid peroxidation / Lipids / malondialdehyde / Marine ecosystems / Marine organisms / Marine pollution / Mediterranean Sea / Metal concentrations / Metals / Metals, Heavy / Metals, Heavy - analysis / Mitochondrial DNA / Mollusks / Nickel / Patella caerulea / Peroxidase / Peroxidation / Populations / Research Article / risk / Sea currents / Seawater / Shellfish / Superoxide Dismutase / Trace Elements / Trace Elements - analysis / Trace metals / Urban populations / Waste Water Technology / Water analysis / Water Management / Water Pollutants, Chemical / Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis / Water Pollution Control / zinc