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Plastic-associated harmful phytoplankton assemblages in coastal and off-shore habitats of the Mediterranean Sea

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 2022 Score: 35 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Arianna Bellingeri, Arianna Bellingeri, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Silvia Casabianca, Silvia Casabianca, Arianna Bellingeri, Silvia Casabianca, Arianna Bellingeri, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Arianna Bellingeri, Arianna Bellingeri, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Samuela Capellacci, Samuela Capellacci, Silvia Casabianca, Maria Grazia Giacobbe, Samuela Capellacci, Samuela Capellacci, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Arianna Bellingeri, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Maria Grazia Giacobbe, Maria Grazia Giacobbe, Maria Grazia Giacobbe, Carmela Dell’Aversano, Carmela Dell’Aversano, Arianna Bellingeri, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Arianna Bellingeri, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Luciana Tartaglione, Luciana Tartaglione, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Riccardo Narizzano, Fabio Varriale, Fabio Varriale, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Nicola Ungaro, Riccardo Narizzano, Riccardo Narizzano, Antonella Penna, Nicola Ungaro, Rosella Bertolotto, Ilaria Corsi Nicola Ungaro, Ilaria Corsi Antonella Penna, Rosella Bertolotto, Rosella Bertolotto, Rosella Bertolotto, Nicola Ungaro, Riccardo Narizzano, Nicola Ungaro, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Riccardo Narizzano, Nicola Ungaro, Ilaria Corsi Nicola Ungaro, Nicola Ungaro, Arianna Bellingeri, Arianna Bellingeri, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Antonella Penna, Antonella Penna, Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi Ilaria Corsi

Summary

Researchers used qPCR to detect harmful algal bloom species and measure biotoxin concentrations on micro and macroplastic samples collected from coastal and offshore Mediterranean habitats, finding that all plastic samples harbored dinoflagellate and diatom communities including toxin-producing Alexandrium and Pseudo-nitzschia species, with paralytic shellfish toxin levels of 10 to 100 nanograms per square centimeter on plastic surfaces.

Polymers

Plastics (macro, micro and nanoplastics) are durable and persistent pollutants that may alter pelagic and coastal ecosystem functions. Plastics provide a durable substrate that can be colonized by micro and macro-organisms. They support the growth of potential pathogens and HAB species. Further, plastic debris has been considered to play a key role in the dispersal also of biotoxins. The present study aimed to investigate harmful phytoplankton assemblages that colonized numerous samples of micro and macro-plastics collected in the Mediterranean Sea by qPCR assays, and to forecast toxin dispersal by quantifying toxin content onto plastic debris. Further, the impact of polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) to the HA diatom Skeletonema marinoi was analyzed. All plastic samples were positive for the presence of Dinophyceae and Bacillariophyceae communities and some plastic samples were colonized by toxic species of dinoflagellate Alexandrium pacificum, Alexandrium minutum, Ostreopsis cf. ovata and diatom Pseudo-nitzschia spp. Strains of A. pacificum isolated from plastic debris and analyzed by LCHRMS produced PST (paralytic shellfish toxins). The levels of potential toxins on plastic samples ranged from 101 to 102 ng cm-2. The interactions between HA diatom and plastic nanoparticles demonstrated an increase of both extracellular and intracellular reactive oxygen species, and significantly reduced colonies length using TEM and SEM techniques. Then, plastics can negatively impact the ecological functioning of oceans. The potential risk of harmful microalgae dispersal associated with plastic pollution was illustrated as well as for chemical compounds to transfer through the trophic chain with implications for human health and marine ecosystem.

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