1
|
Boisseaux P, Hopkinson P, Santillo D, Smith C, Garmulewicz A, Powell Z, Galloway T. Environmental safety of second and third generation bioplastics in the context of the circular economy. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 256:114835. [PMID: 37003058 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Bioplastics derived from organic materials other than crude oil are often suggested as sustainable solutions for tackling end-of-life plastic waste, but little is known of their ecotoxicity to aquatic species. Here, we investigated the ecotoxicity of second and third generation bioplastics toward the freshwater zooplankton Daphnia magna. In acute toxicity tests (48 h), survival was impacted at high concentrations (g.L-1 range), within the range of salinity-induced toxicity. Macroalgae-derived bioplastic induced hormetic responses under chronic exposure (21 d). Most biological traits were enhanced from 0.06 to 0.25 g.L-1 (reproduction rate, body length, width, apical spine, protein concentration), while most of these traits returned to controls level at 0.5 g.L-1. Phenol-oxidase activity, indicative of immune function, was enhanced only at the lowest concentration (0.06 g.L-1). We hypothesise these suggested health benefits were due to assimilation of carbon derived from the macroalgae-based bioplastic as food. Polymer identity was confirmed by infra-red spectroscopy. Chemical analysis of each bioplastic revealed low metal abundance whilst non target exploration of organic compounds revealed trace amounts of phthalates and flame retardants. The macroalgae-bioplastic disintegrated completely in compost and biodegraded up to 86 % in aqueous medium. All bioplastics acidified the test medium. In conclusion, the tested bioplastics were classified as environmentally safe. Nonetheless, a reasonable end-of-life management of these safer-by-design materials is advised to ensure the absence of harmful effects at high concentrations, depending on the receiving environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Boisseaux
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD Exeter, UK.
| | - Peter Hopkinson
- Exeter Business School, Building One, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD Exeter, UK
| | - David Santillo
- Greenpeace laboratory, Innovation Centre, University of Exeter, EX4 4RN Exeter, UK
| | | | - Alysia Garmulewicz
- Materiom C.I.C, E8 4QS London, UK; Faculty of Administration and Economics, Department of Administration, University of Santiago of Chile, 9170022 Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Tamara Galloway
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD Exeter, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Caballero P, Prieto-Amador M, Martínez-Guitarte JL. Gene expression response of the non-target gastropod Physella acuta to Fenoxycarb, a juvenile hormone analog pesticide. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4031. [PMID: 36899054 PMCID: PMC10006217 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31201-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Pesticides are an environmental problem. The search for new pest control methods has focused on compounds with low or no toxic effects in non-target organisms. Analogs of the juvenile hormone (JH) interfere endocrine system of arthropods. However, the lack of effect on non-target species requires confirmation. This article analyzes the impact of Fenoxycarb, an analog of JH, on Physella acuta, an aquatic gastropod. For 1 week, animals were exposed to 0.01, 1, and 100 μg/L and the RNA was isolated to analyze the gene expression by retrotranscription and Real-Time PCR. Forty genes related to the endocrine system, the DNA repair mechanisms, the detoxification mechanisms, oxidative stress, the stress response, the nervous system, hypoxia, energy metabolism, the immune system, and apoptosis were analyzed. Three of the genes, AchE, HSP17.9, and ApA, showed responses to the presence of Fenoxycarb at 1 μg/L, with no statistically significant responses in the rest of the genes and at the remaining concentrations. From the results, it can be concluded that Fenoxycarb shows a weak response at the molecular level in P. acuta in the tested time and concentrations. However, Aplysianin-A, a gene related to immunity, was altered so the long-term effect could be relevant. Therefore, additional research is required to confirm the safety of Fenoxycarb in non-arthropod species in the long term.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Caballero
- Grupo de Biología y Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Av de Esparta S/N - Carretera de Las Rozas a El Escorial Km 5, 28232, Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marina Prieto-Amador
- Grupo de Biología y Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Av de Esparta S/N - Carretera de Las Rozas a El Escorial Km 5, 28232, Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain.,Grupo de Ecosistemas Bentónicos y Recursos Demersales, COB-Centre Oceanogràfic de Balears (Spanish Institute of Oceanography, CSIC), Moll de Ponent, S/N, 07015, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - José-Luis Martínez-Guitarte
- Grupo de Biología y Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Av de Esparta S/N - Carretera de Las Rozas a El Escorial Km 5, 28232, Las Rozas, Madrid, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Alther R, Krähenbühl A, Bucher P, Altermatt F. Optimizing laboratory cultures of Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea: Amphipoda) as a study organism in environmental sciences and ecotoxicology. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 855:158730. [PMID: 36122725 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Amphipods are among the most abundant macroinvertebrates in freshwater ecosystems of the Palaearctic and crucial for ecosystem functioning. Furthermore, their high sensitivity to environmental change and pollutants makes them widely used model organisms in environmental sciences and ecotoxicology. In field studies and surveys across Eurasia, species of the genus Gammarus are commonly used, yet laboratory-based studies and ecotoxicological tests are often restricted to the in most parts of the world non-native Hyalella azteca, as Gammarus is much harder to breed and maintain under laboratory conditions. However, for direct comparisons and extrapolations of results of field- vs. laboratory-based studies, the use of the same species would be desirable. Here, we investigated different settings with respect to feeding, shelter and day length to successfully increase survival, juvenile production and their respective growth and survival, and ultimately multi-generation breeding of the amphipod Gammarus fossarum. Amphipod populations persisted and reproduced successfully under optimized husbandry conditions for 12 months and were partially maintained for another year in populations up to a few hundred individuals. Specifically, supplementing diet with protein-rich food sources as well as the provisioning of shelters improved survival rate of G. fossarum significantly. However, we found no significant effect of different day length treatments on the overall relative reproductive activity or on the total amphipod abundance maintained. We conclude that G. fossarum can be kept and reared under standardized conditions. Despite the longer generation times of G. fossarum and higher effort required for maintenance compared to H. azteca, direct ecological relevance and comparability of results to natural systems may justify its future use and development as a study organism for environmental sciences and ecotoxicology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roman Alther
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlan dstrasse 133, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Andrin Krähenbühl
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlan dstrasse 133, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - Pascal Bucher
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlan dstrasse 133, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlan dstrasse 133, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Berezina NA, Sharov AN, Chernova EN, Malysheva OA. Effects of Diclofenac on the Reproductive Health, Respiratory Rate, Cardiac Activity, and Heat Tolerance of Aquatic Animals. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2022; 41:677-686. [PMID: 34932842 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Diclofenac is an important pharmaceutical present in the water cycle of wastewater treatment and one of the most distributed drugs in aquatic ecosystems. Despite the great interest in the fate of diclofenac in freshwaters, the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations on invertebrates are still unclear. Two species of freshwater invertebrates, the amphipod Gmelinoides fasciatus and the bivalve mollusk Unio pictorum, were exposed to diclofenac concentrations of 0.001-2 μg/L (environmentally relevant levels) for 96 h. A set of biological endpoints (survival, fecundity, embryo abnormalities, respiration and heart rates, heat tolerance, and cardiac stress tolerance) were estimated in exposed invertebrates. Effects of diclofenac on amphipod metabolic rate and reproduction (number and state of embryos) and adaptive capacity (cardiac stress tolerance) in both species were evident. The oxygen consumption of amphipods exposed to diclofenac of 0.1-2 μg/L was 1.5-2 times higher than in the control, indicating increased energy requirements for standard metabolism in the presence of diclofenac (>0.1 μg/L). The heart rate recovery time in mollusks after heating to critical temperature (30 °C) was 1.7 and 9 times greater in mollusks exposed to 0.1 and 0.9 μg/L, respectively, than in the control (24 min). A level of diclofenac >0.9 μg/L adversely affected amphipod embryos, leading to an increase in the number of embryos with impaired development, which subsequently died. Thus, the lowest effective concentration of diclofenac (0.1 μg/L) led to increased energy demands of animals while reducing cardiac stress tolerance, and at a level close to 1 μg/L reproductive disorders (elevated mortality of the embryos) occurred. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:677-686. © 2021 SETAC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nadezhda A Berezina
- Laboratory of Freshwater and Experimental Hydrobiology, Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrey N Sharov
- Laboratory of Algologia, Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia
- Scientific Research Centre for Ecological Safety of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Ekaterina N Chernova
- Scientific Research Centre for Ecological Safety of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Olga A Malysheva
- Laboratory of Algologia, Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
A "Population Dynamics" Perspective on the Delayed Life-History Effects of Environmental Contaminations: An Illustration with a Preliminary Study of Cadmium Transgenerational Effects over Three Generations in the Crustacean Gammarus. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21134704. [PMID: 32630258 PMCID: PMC7370439 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21134704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We explore the delayed consequences of parental exposure to environmentally relevant cadmium concentrations on the life-history traits throughout generations of the freshwater crustacean Gammarus fossarum. We report the preliminary results obtained during a challenging one-year laboratory experiment in this environmental species and propose the use of population modeling to interpret the changes in offspring life-history traits regarding their potential demographic impacts. The main outcome of this first long-term transgenerational assay is that the exposure of spawners during a single gametogenesis cycle (3 weeks) could result in severe cascading effects on the life-history traits along three unexposed offspring generations (one year). Indeed, we observed a decrease in F1 reproductive success, an early onset of F2 offspring puberty with reduced investment in egg yolk reserves, and finally a decrease in the growth rate of F3 juveniles. However, the analysis of these major transgenerational effects by means of a Lefkovitch matrix population model revealed only weak demographic impacts. Population compensatory processes mitigating the demographic consequences of parental exposure seem to drive the modification of life-history traits in offspring generations. This exploratory study sheds light on the role of population mechanisms involved in the demographic regulation of the delayed effects of environmental toxicity in wild populations.
Collapse
|
6
|
Berezina NA, Lehtonen KK, Ahvo A. Coupled Application of Antioxidant Defense Response and Embryo Development in Amphipod Crustaceans in the Assessment of Sediment Toxicity. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2019; 38:2020-2031. [PMID: 31189019 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Survival rate, frequency of malformed embryos, and antioxidant defense system responses in the benthic amphipod Gmelinoides fasciatus from the Baltic Sea were measured to examine the effects of toxic sediments, and to assess the usefulness of these endpoints in sediment toxicity biotesting. A highly contaminated sediment sample from the Baltic Sea was diluted with sediment from a clean site to come up with a series of 5 test sediments with dilutions from 1:32 to 1:1024, and the reference sediment. The 1:32 dilution of the test sediment was analyzed for organotins (2862 µg tin [Sn] kg dry wt -1 ), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (6064 µg kg dry wt -1 ), and selected trace metals (e.g., copper 352 mg kg dry wt -1 ). The survival rate of G. fasciatus (10-d toxicity test) was 100% in the reference and 1:1024 treatments, and began to decline from the 1:256 dilution onward. In a 28-d experiment, various types of morphological malformations were observed in 11 to 80% of the amphipod embryos in the 1:64, 1:128, and 1:256 dilutions, with only <5% in the reference treatment. Also, elevated activities in the antioxidant defense system enzymes glutathione S-transferase and catalase were observed in amphipods exposed to the contaminated sediments compared with the reference treatment, with responses at lower contamination levels compared with the appearance of malformations in the embryos. The results obtained illustrate the effectiveness of the combined application of embryonic malformations and antioxidant defense system biomarkers in amphipods in the assessment of sediment toxicity, and potentially also of sublethal effects of chemical contamination in aquatic ecosystems. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:2020-2031. © 2019 SETAC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kari K Lehtonen
- Marine Research Center, Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aino Ahvo
- Marine Research Center, Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| |
Collapse
|