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Aquatic Organisms in Relation to Toxic Environmental Pollutants

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sandra Mariza Veiga Monteiro

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Guest Editor

Department of Biology and Environment, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: toxicity studies; ecotoxicology, biomarkers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ana Catarina Gonçalves Luzio

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Guest Editor

Department of Biology and Environment, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences , Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: aquatic organism; aquatic species; genes

Dr. Carlos Alberto e Silva Venâncio

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Guest Editor

Animal Science Department, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: animal anatomy; animal welfare; functional morphology; neuronal development; oxidative stress; sustainable animal production; zebrafish
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental contaminants are mostly the result of human activities and often reach aquatic environments either deliberately or through run-off, posing serious risks to aquatic organisms.

Pollutant leaching occurs when xenobiotics mix with water and move through the soil, contaminating groundwater. Different organisms, such as plants, animals, and even humans, can be used as bioindicators of environmental pollution, primarily due to their ability to absorb toxicants from air, water, sediment, soil, and/or through the food chain. Bioindicators give us “early warning signals” about the possible effects of pollutants on populations or communes and provide the possibility of a timely reaction in order to prevent major consequences for the environment.

The application of aquatic organisms as bioindicators has a number of advantages compared to standard chemical methods for the analysis of toxic metals in environmental samples (water, air, sediment, soil).

The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish original research as well as review articles, about recent studies of aquatic organisms that have been used worldwide as bioindicators of environmental contaminants in water and sediment. We, therefore, invite you to submit your latest research findings and engineering practice in this field. Case studies are also welcome.

Dr. Sandra Mariza Veiga Monteiro
Dr. Ana Catarina Gonçalves Luzio
Dr. Carlos Alberto e Silva Venâncio
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. Water 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 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
toxic environment
pollutants
bioindicators

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3202 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Health Assessment of the Northwest Portuguese Coast—Biochemical Biomarker Responses in the Marine Gastropod Phorcus lineatus

by Dércia Santos, Simone Varandas, João Soares Carrola, Maria José Saavedra, Ana Luzio, Sandra M. Monteiro and Edna Cabecinha

Water 2024, 16(1), 5; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w16010005 - 19 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1011

Abstract

Coastal areas are frequently impacted by anthropogenic pollution, due to intense human activity in these zones. Our study aimed to monitor the impacts of anthropogenic pollution in four Portuguese locations on the northwest coast, and to identify the most affected areas and/or seasons by applying a multi-biomarker approach. Water and specimens of Phorcus lineatus were collected on the rocky shore during low tide in four sites along the northwest Portuguese coast (1. Amorosa; 2. Cabo do Mundo; 3. Homem do Leme; 4. S. Félix da Marinha) with different anthropogenic pressures, including an industrial maritime shipyard; an oil refinery; an international airport; and an area with high human population density. The collection took place over two seasons: the summer of 2021 and the winter of 2022. Several biochemical biomarkers, including reactive oxygen species; protein carbonyl content; lipid peroxidation (LPO); carboxylesterase (CE); and antioxidant (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and neurotoxicity—acetylcholinesterase (AChE)) enzymes were measured. The results showed seasonal variation, with the ROS, LPO, CE, and GST activities depending particularly on the season, but the SOD and CAT activities being similar between summer and winter. CAT showed lower activity in Site 1 than in the other sites during both seasons (p < 0.05). The Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR) index showed that biomarker responses were higher in winter. The multivariate analysis confirmed the higher contribution of the factor season to the P. lineatus’ response to pollutants, compared to the spatial variation in the northwest Portuguese coast. Overall, this study shows that P. lineatus can be a suitable bioindicator species for environmental biomonitoring, and that the IBR index allows the identification of temporal contamination patterns. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms in Relation to Toxic Environmental Pollutants)

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Review

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30 pages, 2014 KiB

Open AccessReview

Effects of Glyphosate or Glyphosate-Based Herbicide during the Zebrafish Life Cycle: A Review Addressing the Mechanisms of Toxicity

by Germano A. B. Lanzarin, Luís M. Félix, António Fontaínhas-Fernandes, Sandra Mariza Monteiro and Carlos Venâncio

Water 2023, 15(12), 2276; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/w15122276 - 17 Jun 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1947

Abstract

Herbicides with glyphosate (GLY) as an active ingredient (a.i.) are increasingly used, and GLY is currently the most used herbicide in the world. Consequently, its residues have often been found in aquatic ecosystems. Investigating how this substance affects aquatic species is a priority in ecotoxicology research, especially in fish, as they can absorb and concentrate toxins. In this sense, a critical review was performed, synthesizing data from the peer-reviewed bibliography, reporting on the toxicity of exposure to pure GLY and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), using zebrafish as an animal model. The concentrations of this herbicide that induced toxic effects are highly variable, with some exceeding the limits determined by regulatory agencies. Globally, relevant toxic effects have been reported in zebrafish, namely, teratogenic effects incompatible with life, which translates directly into an increase in reported zebrafish mortality. Neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, changes in energy metabolism and oxidative stress, and immune and hormonal system dysfunction with an impact on fish reproduction were also described. In conclusion, both GLY and GBHs may induce damage to zebrafish, compromising their survival, reproduction, and maintenance. These results may be valid and applied to other fish species and aquatic ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms in Relation to Toxic Environmental Pollutants)

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